Restart
by xXAsalemXx
Summary: There's a time when the pain becomes immesurably unbearable...She knows that first hand...But why is it that she has to be tortured by going through everything all over again? SasuSaku Credit goes to oXo-yellow-rose-violinist-oXo for the summary!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Naruto, simple as that. Nor do I own any of the songs.(the songs are 'Hazard to myself', and the beggining of 'Just like a Pill', both by Pink) **

Never win first place

I don't support the team

I can't take direction and my socks are never clean

Teachers dated me

my parents hated me

I was always in a fight

cuz I can't do nothin right

Every day I fight a war against a mirror

I can't take the person staring back at me

I'm a hazard to myself

don't let me get me

I'm my own worst enemy

it's bad when you don't know yourself

so irritating

don't want to be my friend no more

I wanna be somebody else

I wanna be somebody else

yeah

L.A. told me

you could be a pop star

all you have to change is everything you are

Tired of being compared

to damn Britney Spears

She's so pretty

That just ain't me

so doctor doctor won't you please prescribe me somethin

a day in the life of someone else

Cuz I'm a hazard to myself

don't let me

I'm my own worst enemy

it's bad when you don't know yourself

so irritating

don't want to be my friend no more

I wanna be somebody else

yeah

don't let me get me don't let me

I'm my own worst enemy

its bad when you don't know yourself

so irritating

don't wanna be my friend no more

I wanna be somebody else

so doctor doctor won't you please prescribe me somethin

a day in the life of someone else

don't let me get

oh I'm a hazard to myself

yeah

don't let me get me

I'm my own worst enemy

it's bad when you don't know yourself

yourself

so irritating

don't wanna be my friend no more

i wanna be somebody else

don't let me get me

I'm my own worst enemy

its bad when you don't know yourself

so irritating

don't wanna be my friend no more

I wanna be somebody else

don't let me get me

The music ended the song as I walked off stage.

"Tsukiko-chan! That was fabulous!" my friend said to me.

"thank you, Kiki-chan."

This was me, for now. I was on some retarded 'important' mission. I mean seriously, I had to change my name, pretend to be a pop star, and, of all people, Naruto came with me! He's gotten _so_ close to blowing my cover _so _many times. My real name was Sakura Haruno. Oh, how I wished to go back to that identity. I had mastered a special technique; I could control every cell in my body, individually. I could change the way the way the light reflected off of each cell, changing the color. I could completely change the way I looked. It was possible to go more in depth with it and control _other _peoples' cells if you can touch a fraction of their bodies, but I haven't gotten that in depth with it. I can cause their cells to perspire, but only in the spot I can touch, not every cell. Its...well...complicated. something that has to do with chakra and whatever. I had jet black hair, with vibrant blue highlights. and I had sea blue eyes.

"You go on again in...two minutes, Tsukiko-chan." Kiki told me.

"yeah...okay." I said "thank you." she smiled and turned to leave.

I went back on stage...

the music started.

I'm lyin' here on the floor where you left me

I think I took too much

I'm crying here, what have you done?

I thought it would be fun

I can't stay in your life support, there's a

Shortage in the switch--

All the power went out, along with all the electricity, making it impossible for everyone to hear the instruments. My microphone was battery powered-weird I know- So I could still talk to them. I heard a scream.

"Everyone, calm down, it's probably just a power shortage, there's no need to worry. I just need everyone to calm down..." It was no use, the were all screaming so loud they wouldn't listen to me if I cussed them out, seriously, they really need to--

There was a crash at the side of the building. Guess what was there, a giant. Fucking. Hole. I mean what the Crap is a--

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And they scream even louder. It's just a...

my eyes widened as I finally, actually _saw _the scene being played out in front of me. There was a snake...scratch that, a huge. Gynormous. Green snake. and a silhouette on top of it's head. the first thought that came to mind.

_Orochimaru..._

I saw everyone running out of the building as fast as they could. I quickly jumped up to a higher area, one of the headlights, and got into a battle stance.

"It's been a while...Sakura." I knew that voice all to well.

"Fuck." I muttered.

"I have direct orders from Orochimaru..." He began.

"To kill me? Shit. I bet he just couldn't do it himself, that's why he sent..._you._" I said, saying you like it was some kind of fatal virus. He kept that same blank look on his face. Then held out his hand. I saw him mutter something. Then I saw, in the corner of my eye, a snake, crashing towards me. I quickly jumped out of the way, writhing my body, twisting it though the air, then I landed on another headlight. He still had the same blank look on his face. And he spoke...

"I see your reflexes are faster..." It was the same cold, monotone, voice. The same voice I fell for years ago. I felt a stinging sensation on my leg. As I looked down to see what it was, the headlight seemed to shatter. I came flying towards the ground. I couldn't move. I felt myself hit the ground. What was strange was, it didn't hurt. I opened my eyes, which I had closed not to long ago, only to see myself on my knees, in front of the one and only, Sasuke Uchiha. Held down by snakes, not being able to move.

_His snakes must have caught me, but that fall could have killed me, why didn't he let me die? well, he probably just wanted the honor of killing me himself._

"Not fast enough." He said. I scowled. Oh, how I hate it when he wins. I quickly brought myself together though.

"My orders were not to kill you..." He says. "I am to bring you to Orochimaru, he is near death, he needs a medic ninja. and if--"

"I am not working for him." I say simply.

"--and if you resist, I am to go to drastic measures."

"Sasuke?" I ask, he looks at me.

"Are you afraid of death?" I ask. He raises his eyebrows.

"O-of course not." He says.

"...then kill me."

He just stares, slightly wide-eyed. However quickly recovers from his shock. He sighed, did a few hand signs, unknown to me, and held out his hand. The next thing I saw was black, however, even in the total darkness, I felt unbearable pain. Every muscle in my body tensed and tightened. It felt as if my skin was ripping apart. My bones ached and throbbed, then...nothing.

I felt warmth, and I could feel something soft enveloping my body. I felt total bliss, total safety, total confusion. Was this heaven? Had I died. My eyes shot open, and I bolted up...I was in a bed. My vision was blurred by a pink Maine. pink? _Pink?_ and it was long. _Long! _I haven't had this kind of hair since...

"Oh God no, please no please..." I begged as I crawled over to my mirror. I saw me, regular 13 year old me. With an overgrown forehead, long pink hair, brilliantly green eyes. I haven't been like this in forever. Last time I checked, I was 19, regular forehead (i had finally grown into it) black and blue hair, blue eyes.

"Crap." I said quietly. I looked at my alarm clock. 4:30, it read. "Why do I always have to wake up so early..." I said to myself. If I had to stay here, i might as well make fun of it. I get to bug Sasuke, see Naruto, and Kakashi, and mother, everyone!. Oh, this might be good. Still, I can't believe Sasuke spared me. Hah, the 'great Uchiha' couldn't bring himself to kill an 'annoying' little brat like me. Not afraid of death my ass. I slowly crept to my closet. All I saw were the red dresses I wore when I was 13. Man, I had horrible fashion sense back then. I need a new wardrobe. I dig through my closet, finding my mothers old clothes. Which consisted of black cargo Capri's, a black tube top, a red corset top, a thick white belt, and blue fingerless gloves. I slipped my ninja sandals on and put my forehead protector around my forehead, to make my forehead look at least a little smaller.

I was about to leave when I realized something...It was 5:00 in the morning. School doesn't start for at least another three hours. Well, I decided I didn't give a damn. I left anyway. I was walking to school, the sun wasn't even out yet, so it was still dark. I passed the Yamanaka's shop. I figure she's not awake yet. I kept walking. Besides, she hated me when we were 13, right? whatever, I'll think about it later. I reached the school. I opened the door, Iruka wasn't here, but he must have been here earlier, one, the door was unlocked, two, the lights were on. I walked silently in. I sat down somewhere in the middle of the room. It was about 6:30-7:00, an hour before school started, when I heard the door open. I tilted my head back to see who entered. He was staring at me. His raven locks framing his face. his onyx eyes meeting my gaze. I scowled, realizing who it was. He seemed taken back by my actions, but quickly regained his composure. He walked towards me. I kept my gaze on him. However, he walked right past me and sat in the seat a few rows ahead of me. The same seat he sat in before, in the other life.

God, It sounds so weird to say that...

anyway, The next few hours were pretty boring, Emo boy sat there brooding the whole half hour untill people finally started coming.

SAAAKKURRAA-CHHAAANNN!!!!" I heard an annoying high pitched voice screech.

"Dammit, and it was so peaceful..." I mumbled.

"Sakura-cha--whoa, you look different." he commented.

"yeah...thanks?" I said still lookin to the front of the room.

"So...Sakura-Chan...can I sit he--"

"Forehead! Is that you?"...Ino

"Oh, great...it's you too." I said sarcastically.

"If your wearing that to impress Sasuke-kun, your wasting your time, he'll never talk to you." She said in that snobby, know-it-all way.

"Mmhm.." I said, somehow distracted from he conversation.

"What's so special about Sasuke anyway? I'm better than him!" Naruto bellowed

"Yeah right, Naruto! You'll never be better than Sasuke-kun is!" Ino yelled back.

"Oi, Ino!" I said, she looked towards me. "Would you mind shutting up before I loose an ear?" She responded with a glare, then turning around with a 'humph!' and running to Sasuke.

"Why do you all like him so much? I can't understand it!" Naruto complained.

"Naruto," I started, "Don't try to understand, it's not your thing." He stared for a little bit. Then opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off.

"Just go find out why Sasuke's so 'special' or whatever the Crap you were going to do." I said shooing him away. He glared, but ran off over to Sasuke. I saw him jump upon the desk in front of Sasuke, thus, starting a glaring contest. Girls in a crowd beside Sasuke started screaming things along the lines of "Sasuke-kun beat him up!'. Then a boy in front bumped into Naruto, causing Naruto to fall forward, causing..._the kiss._ I can't believe I actually let myself watch that again. I involuntarily twitched. all the girls had looks of complete and utter disgust on their faces. Sasuke and Naruto quickly broke apart. Each violently coughing and hacking.

"I'm going to kill you Naruto..." I heard Sasuke threaten.

"Gah! I'm poisoned!" Naruto yelled. I chuckled; this was actually kind of funny. Well, until al the girls closed in on Naruto, then beat him up...Just the same as the other life.

**Soooooooooooo...tell me what you think! I probably didn't do very well considering this is my first sic. Flames are welcome! I will only continue if you think i should though. please, r&r!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I'm updating again. I hope this chapter doesn't suck or anything. Enjoy!**

Iruka was going on about Crap I had already heard, I was almost asleep, Naruto was beaten pretty badly, siting in front of me. I was sitting next to Ino. On the other side of her was Shikamaru, in front of Shikamaru was Sasuke. I heard Iruka start to announce the teams, Ino leaned over to me.

"Only one of us can be with Sasuke-kun, I wonder who it will be?" She said, knowing what she ment, I simply ignored her, and kept staring at Iruka.

"Team 7...Naruto Uzimaki...Sakura Haruno..." With that said Naruto jumped up screeching with joy. I just stared at Iruka. "...and Sasuke Uchiha..." Then Naruto sat back down, a dead-panned look on his face. I just simply couldn't resist an opporatunity to bug Sasuke, So I sat up and yelled at the top of my lungs.

"YES!! TRUE LOVE PREVALES!!" I saw him scowl. Oh, how I loved to do this, smirking, I sat down, only to hear Ino say, "How did you end up with Sasuke-kun?"

"Hah..." I said. I saw her glare at me in the corner of my eye. It was really fun to bug people.Iruka announced the rest of the teams and suggested we eat lunch with our teamates. I sat up and walked out quickly, knowing Naruto would ask me to eat lunch with him. Now, I didn't really dislike him as much as I did when I was 13...the other time. However, him and Hinata just made such a cute couple. If I'm nice to him, he'll think I like him. Ruining any chance with Hinata he has, most likely.

"Sakura-chan would you like to--" Naruto began.

"No..." I said, curtly.

"But Sakura-chaaaaann..."He protested.

"Naruto, seriously don't beg..." I began. "Why have you gone all Sasuke-like lately?" He demanded

I stared at him emotionless. _that's right, He knew me way before this..._ I thought. I changed my expression to overly perky.

"U-uh...Don't you think Sasuke will accept me if I act more like him?" I lied in a sickly sugar-coated tone.

"What is it about Sasuke everyone likes anyway?" He demanded. "Well..."

_There's only one way I know how to end this... _I thought, solemnly.

"Naruto..." I began, facing him, "your annoying." I saw him freeze, and took this chance to walk away quickly.

_Those are the same words Sasuke said to me when he left... _I thought. God, I hated remembering that.

I sat down on a bench near me. I spaced out for a while. I snapped back into reality when I caught sight of something. I looked in front of me. It was Sasuke.

_Okay, why is he looking at me like that? _I asked myself as I quirked an eyebrow. He walked toward me. He started to speak.

"Your forehead looks so charming..." he began. "It almost makes me want to..." He paused, then said "kiss it." My eyes widened, and I raised both eyebrows

"Not." he said. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. he sat down next to me. His Chakra signature didn't seem the same though. It seemed more like...

_...Dammit Naruto, you little--_

"can I ask you a question?" he asked. I was quiet, still ranting in my head about how bastardy Naruto was being at the moment. He countinued anyway.

"What do you think of Naruto?" he inquired. I decided to make it, similar to the last life at least.

"Naruto...I could go on forever about how annoying he is, he never leaves me alone. He can be nice I'm sure...I guess I just didn't like him because he was compeating with you." I said. I saw him blush and I smirked, Naruto was so stupid. I decided to have some fun with this.

"All I ever wanted was for you to accept me sasuke-kun." I said, using my sickly sweet voce again. "For me to accept...you?" He echoed. He blushed even more...then he did the same thing as last life. He gripped his stomach, and ran off, screaming "iI'l be back in a minute" over his shoulder. I chuckled.

"God, Naruto. You're such an idiot." I muttered. I sat there for a while, thinking up reasons _not _to beat Naruto into a bloody pulp next I see him. I was going to get up when I saw Sasuke coming. I refrained myself from laughing. Seeing him so wound up actually seemed funny now. After he joined Orochimaru, he got all boring, and was never angered easily. Whatever, I liked him better this way. It was no wonder I fell for him.

I guess I didn't notice I still had my eyes on him. I was lost in my own thoughts. I saw him stop. He didn't look back but I heard him say...

"Where's Naruto." It wasn't a question, it was a demand. I raised my eyebrows, even though he couldn't see. "Why?" I asked. He turned so I could see a side view of his face...and boy did he look Pissed. "Just tell me." He, yet again, demanded.

"Well...Last I saw him..." I put a hand to my chin, pretending to be in deep thought. I looked at him in the corner of my eye, he was glaring at me, hard. "...hmm..." I went on pretending to think. I could tell he was getting annoyed. "Oh yeah! In the classroom!" I said, acting as if it was the bigget accomplishment of my life, remembering where I saw Naruto last. His glare hardened. "Your lying." He said, simply. I looked up at him.

"...maybe..." I said slowly. "Where is he." He growled. I snorted, but covered it up with a cough. and said quickly, "I swear, last I saw his face was in the classroom, except for when he asked me to eat lunch with him, which, obviously, I declined." With that said, he turned a little,

"Why choose such wording?" he asked. "huh?" was my oh so clever responce. "You said 'saw his face'..." he began. "Your lying...again." He concluded, glaring at me all the same. I sighed. I never knew he was actually smart at age 13.

"Weeelll..." I drawled. "I don't want to tell you." I saw him glare at me, he turned around and said over his shoulder. "Sakura, your annoying." I had to restrain myself from retorting. I watched him walk away. "Damn..." I said quietly to myself. "Just like he was..." I trailed off and started towards the academy.

---

"Hehehehe...this'll teach him..." Naruto chuckled to himself as he set up his 'ingenious' plan.

"Naruto, Our sensei is an elite ninja, do you really think he'll fall for that?" Sasuke asked. Even though I already knew he _would _fall for the prank, I still thought it was silly. I wouldn't even fall for it...even though I'm like...ANBU rank now. Finally, Kakashi came through the door, and, just like last time, the eraser hit him square on the head. Naruto burst out laughing. Kakashi turned to us.

"Well, my first impression of you all..." he began. "Your a bunch of idiots." He states. Naruto immediately stops laughing.

"Meet me on the roof." He says as he leaves. I stand, stretch, then walk towards the door.

---

We are all on the roof, Uchiha, Naruto, and I all the sitting on the steps. Kakashi was in front of us, leaning on the railing.

"Alright, why don't you intorduce yourselves, one at a time." He says. I waited, but no one asked a question like in the eprevious life when I had, so I asked. "As in...?"

"Oh, well your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future." He said. "How about you go first..." I suggest.

"Me?" He echoes. "I'm Kakashi Hatake,things i like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...never really thought about it. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies."

"Wooooowwww..." I drawled quietly, and sarcastically.

"Okay, you next, one the right there, you first." He commanded

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki, I like instant Ramen in a cup. And I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the hot water into the ramen cup. My hobby is trying different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is...to be the future greatest hokage! then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!" He proclaimed. It took most of my will power not to twitch.

"Alright next." Kakashi said, after quite a long pause.

"Uhh...Im Sakura Haruno, likes:nothing, hates:...well I don't particularly _hate _anything. Hobbies: I don't know, one or two if any, I can't remember them right now so... Dreams for the future:...hmm...I wonder if I even have one..." I thought to myself.

"WHAT?! you gave just about as much information as Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto screeched.

"Hey, he gives no information, neither do I..." I replied.

"Last one." Kakashi commanded.

"My name...is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot fo things. and I don't particularly like anything. What I ahve is not a dream, because I will make it a reality, I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain...someone." He said.

_God, he always has to be such a killjoy, with his emo attitude... _I thought.

"Good, your both unique and have your own ideas..." he began

"One of which is just a little disturbing..." I muttered.

"...You'll start your first mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission are we going to have?" Naruto asked.

"It's a task that the four of us will do together."

What? What, what, what?!" He urged Kakashi to go on.

"A survival excersize."

"What? A survival excersize?" Naruto asked.

"No, Naruto, he's lying to you.." I said sarcastically.

"Well, this is not like your previous training." Kakashi told us.

"So uh, what kind of training is it then?" Naruto asked. Kakashi started to chuckle.

"What?" I ask annoyed, even though I knew why he was laughing.

"If I tell you, your not going to like it." He said

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"Out of the twenty-seven graduates who came here, only nine will actually be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass fail test. The chance that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent." He finished. Our faces fell.

"See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"

"Thats crazy! We worked hard to get here! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?"

"That was just to select candidates who might become Genin...or not..." He replied. I tuned out after that, I already knew everthing he said. I saw everyone get up and leave. So I stood up. Naruto Walked up to me.

"Hey Sakura?" He asked "Yes, Naruto?" I asked, looking towards him. "Where are you going?" He asked

_what does he mean 'where am I going?' I'm going... _It was then I realized I was going the same way as Sasuke.

"Training." I said simply. "What? why?" He asked, clearly surprised. "Why aren't you going home?"

"Because I'm going to train instead..." I replied. "Why?" He asked.

"Because I need it." I replied, simply."How so?"

"I'm not strong enough."

"How do you know?"

"Do I _look _strong enough to you? Besause I'm even weaker than I look!" I exclaimed.

"I don't think you look weak..." He said. I stopped walking for a moment.

"O-oh...Th-thank you..." I said quietly.

"Can I walk you home?" He asks. "Naruto, just 'cause you think I don't _look_ weak, doesn't mean I don't need trainging." I say.

"Argh! Why are you so contempt on training?!" He asked, clearly frustrated. "Ohh, just...because."

"Sakura-Chan!" He whined. "Will it make you shut up if I go home?" I asked. "...Yeah..."

"Well, too bad." I replied. "Fine!, but what do you need training on anyway?" He asked, this time genually curious.

"Well..." I began. "I'm not _nearly _as flexible as I should be, My reflexes need to be faster, my speed in general needs improvement. My--"

"Sakura-chan! Do you really need that much work?!" He asked. "Yes." I replied, as I made a turn to go into the forest.

"Are you sure your not following Sasuke?" He demanded, suspiciously. "No." I replied. "Why would I do tha--don't answer that." I said as I stopped at an opening.

"Fine," He said, clearly irritated. "See you tomorrow?" He asked, hopeully.

_well, duh... _I thought, but only replied with a "Of course." And got to training as he left.

**How was it? Like it, Hate it? again, flames are allowed, and will be in all of my stories (when I get an idea for another). I hope you liked it. **


	3. Chapter 3

**WOOT!! I can finally update, It has taken forever since I have been able to. (okay, maybe it wasn't that long, BUT IT WAS TO ME!) Enjoy! . I'm glad no one has flamed me yet! Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed. You're all so nice! You make me feel special! Sorry about the typos in the last chapter, there might be some in this chapter too. Microsoft program is freaked up on my computer, so I have to do it on Wordpad, which doesn't have spellchecker, I'll try to read over it to get rid of typos, go ahead and tell me if I miss something. Again, enjoy! Hope you like it!**

I was waiting for the others to show up, obviously, the weren't here yet. Considering it was 5 freaking o'clock in the morning for Heaven's sake! I mean, seriously! Who on Earth wakes up at 4 o'clock _every single morning!! _Me!! That's who!! I didn't even get home untill 11 at night, recieving quite a long (but well deserved) lecture from my mom. Then I wake up at 4 o'clock! I couldn't get back to sleep! That's what I get for training myself to live on 3 hours of sleep each night, _at least_.(A/N-I can sleep for only three hours and not be tried around miday, even though I prefer more sleep)And to think I wanted to train myself to not sleep at all like Gaara. God, I feel really retarted right now. What if I'm on a mission with my team and I refuse to go to sleep! Then wake up at 4 O'CLOCK!!

...Okay...I'm calm now, got it all out of my system half an hour ago when I was training (yes again). I heard a yawn, I looked to the left, and saw Naruto coming, on the other side Sasuke was coming. Wow...I ranted about nothing for an hour. It's not like I feel tired from only three hours of sleep.

"Sakura-chan how can you be awake at a time like this?" Naruto asked, stifeling a yawn. _simple, because I've been trained longer than you have... _I thought. But replied with a "I dunno."

"That's not a reason!" He protested. "Mmhm." I replied, starting to ignore him. I was glad I had grown out of my inner, otherwise I would have punched Naruto out already. Sasuke was quiet, and was leaning on a tree. I glanced at him, but then turned my attention back to my hands as I started to tune out. Luckily, Naruto was too tired to argue for a responce from me. Whenever I was bored when I was nineteen, I would just sing something, however, I couldn't do that now, with Sasuke and Naruto around me. I, knowing the trick Kakashi was trying to pull, ate breakfast this morning before I left. I wanted to hum so badly, as much as I hated the mission I was on in the other life, I enjoyed singing very much. I didn't even know I had a good voice untill I was 15. When I found out I started to sing all the time. I wonder if I even had a good voice at age 13. It was a lot of fun to sing on stage, regardless of how much I hated the mission. I would still be there if it wasn't for...him.

I involentarily clenched my fists. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have to do this! As much as I loved the thought of seeing so many people that were gone in my other life, I couldn't, no, I _wouldn't _relive the moment Sasuke left. I know it was childish, I was 13, how could I ever know what love meant!? It was a silly dream, a dream my 13 year old mind couldn't comprehend as a dream. I thought I couldn't live without him, but I did. I thought I loved him...but did I? Did I really love him? I choked back a sob. This was silly, I didn't want to cause a scene. What was I suppost to say if they saw me cry? I quickly composed myself, however, that feeling, the way my chest was tight and my throat hurt, the way you feel when you try not to cry, it was still there. For once, I was thankful for Naruto's loud snoring, it told me he was asleep, that he hadn't witnessed me breaking. Sasuke on the other hand...

..._the little Bastard who couldn't bring himself to kill a 'helpless little girl'..._

He was awake, I knew he wouldn't go back to sleep, thinking it showed weakness or something, that being tired was for the weak, the helpless. He always called me weak, called me useless. Maybe it was true, but, God, couldn't he use better pep-talk. If he saw me crying, that would only prove his accusations. That was the last thing I wanted.

---

We were waiting for Kakashi, he was late again. Naruto was throwing a fit, Sasuke and I were ignoring him, and...well Kakashi wasn't here.

"Morning everyone, ready for your first day...?" A voice said, Naruto errupted. "YOUR LATE!!!"

"Well a black cat crossed my path, I had to take a different route..."He stated. Before Naruto could accuse him of being a liar I spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, Next time your late, could you at least do us the pleasure of coming up with a _good _excuse?" I said, I closed my eyes and folded my hands in my lap, I was sitting crosslegged, and was sitting up strait.

"Ahem...well..." He began. "Lets get started..." I truned my attention towards him. As did Naruto and Sasuke. He took out a timer and set it on a stump. "Here we go..." He said. "It's set for noon..."

"Hmm?" Was Naruto's Oh so clever responce. " Kakashi pulled out two bells.

"Your assignment is very simple, you just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." He said, then jingled the bells. "If you can't get one by noon, you'll go without lunch."

"Waahh!!"

"You'll be tied to those posts," He went on, as if Naruto's outburst never happened. "And will watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

By this time Sasuke had an extremely annoyed look on his face while Naruto was all but freaking out.

"I swear to God, Kakashi..." I mumbled. knowing I was the only one who noticed in the last life I asked...

"So one of us will go without lunch either way?" Kakashi looked at me, "There's only two bells..." I stated.

"Oh, yes, that way one of you will be tied to the post, and be ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission." He stated, his eyes were arched, indication he was smiling. "That one goes back to the academy. Then again, all three of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons including shiruken. If your not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

By now I was freaking out a little, even though I kept a strait face on the outside. I was worried I would accidentally use a high level jutsu.

"You sure? I mean you couldn't even dodge that eraser." Naruto said.

The class clowns are usually the weakest links, You can safely ignore them, lowest scores, losers." Kakashi stated."When I say start you can begin. Naruto got upset and attempted to harm Kakashi, failing, as Kakashi grabbed his fist holding the kunai, and twisting his arm back so that the kunai was now aimed at the back of Naruto's head.

"Don't be in such a hurry," Kakashi started, his voice low. "I didn't say start yet." Sasuke and I both took a few steps back as Kakashi let Naruto go.

"but, you came at me with the full intention of destroying me, so..." he began, "I'm actually starting to like you guys."

"Get ready...and...Start!" with that said we all jumped off...

---

Now I was all against hiding where I could see Kakashi like in the last life. I decided it was best if I stayed faaaaaaaarrrrrrrr away as possible. Unless I could get everyone to work as a team, which was physically impossible, We would fail anyway. I sighed, Naruto was probably somewhere back there getting his butt kicked like in the last life.

I sighed again, and Sasuke was probably somewhere back there hiding trying to find an opening to get Kakashi...I'm glad I'm way over...away somewhere. Now granted, I was still hiding in the trees, but I just wasn't very near to Kakashi.

...Wait...doesn't Naruto get caught up in a trap or something...(...5...4...3...2..1...)

"Shit!" I whispered as I dashed off to find Naruto.I came back only to find Naruto hung upside-down by a tree...

"Niiiiice, Naruto, what did you do to get stuck in this?" I asked "Kakashi-sensei tricked me!!" He exclaimed "uhuh..." I said as I pulled out a shiruken.

"what are you gonna do with that?" He asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Oh, calm down, I'm going to cut you down." I said as I sliced the rop causing him to fall down landing on his head. "oops..." I said, asl innocently as I could.

However, he immediately got up. "Wow! Thanks Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed. "Your welcome, Hey Naruto I have a proposition for you, I believe the only..way...we..." I trailed off as I realized he was gone. "Damn..." I muttered. "Great...now what...?" I growled to myself.

"Hey, Sakura, behind you..." I tensed. "Aww, Darn it..." I mumbled under my breathe. I turned around. I almost twitched. I almost screamed. However, I did the only thing my body would allow me to do, I ran. I jumped into the trees and ran away.

_I can't fight him, If I do it's either reveal my secret, or get hurt. _I thought. I finally came to a stop.

"Sakura..." I heard, at first I thought it was Kakashi's voice, then I recognized it as Sasuke's. I turned around, only to meet a bleeding, near death Sasuke."Sakura, help me, please help me!" I recognized it as an illusion immediately. Years of traing does that to you. I pulled out a kunai, and chucked it at the illusion, it immediately dissapeared.

"Nice try Kakashi!!" I yelled to the sky, hoping he would hear. I cupped a hand around my mouth. "Want to try something harder to figure out! Even if he was dying he wouldn't ask for my help!" I yelled.

I ran off in another direction, I jumped out of a tree only to see an oh so familiar scene. However, as familiar as it was...it was still funny. I widened my eyes, and bit my lower lip to stop myself from cracking up.

"Sakura...?" He asked, I snorted, but quickly covered it up with a cough. "U-uhh...how did...Your...I don't even want to know...do I?" He just looked at me.

"aha and uh...how am I suppost to help you?" I ask, even though I knew a way, I couldn't let him know that. "Sakura..." He said, a littel irritated this time. "Fine, fine, I'll try..." I said, the most I could do without giving myself away was dig, and that would take too much time. However, I decided it was best so I did it anyway, I only dug enough so that he could move though.

"I have to get a bell before lunch," He said after he got out. "That doesn't leave much time."

"Yeah, well so do I, I doubt we'll be able to do it alone so--"

"A while ago I touched one, next time I'll get one." He interupted. "But...There's no way! Who cares if you touched one! How do you know you'll be able to get it!?" He glared at me.

"I'm the only one...who can destroy that person..." I felt bad after he said that, he haden't managed to kill him in the other life, at least not yet, but I didn't know if he would ever be able to. I sighed. "Sasuke..." I said quietly.

"That day, I was crying..." He said. " Dammit! Sasuke! Your being too general, you not explaining why you can't work with someone!"

"It was my..." he said, I just stared. "Sasuke, please just--"

"I am an avenger..." He said as he stood up straiter, "That means I must be stronger than my prey.I need this training there's no time for set backs."

"Set backs?!" I'm a set back! How dare you, you--" I was cut off by a high pitched ringing.

"Dammit, I waisted too much time!" He said as he turned to leave. BNy now I was pretty pissed off. "Sasuke..." I growled.

---

"Ohh, stomachs growling, that's too bad, by the way about this exsersize, I've decided, I won't send any of you back to the academy." Naruto was overjoyed.

"Yes, all three of you...are being dropped from the program. perminately!" Our faces fell.

"Drop us from the program! That means we can never become Ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells we'd be sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out, Why would you do that?!" Naruto screeched.

"Because you don't think like ninja, you think like little kids, like rats." Sasuke got angry at this statement (true as it was) and charcged at Kakashi, only to be held under Kakashi with his head in the dirt."You think it's all about you, you don't know what it means to be a ninja, you think it's a game huh? Why did you think we put you on squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?" he demanded. "You never realized what this exersize was all about, not even close!"

"What it's about?" Naruto echoed. "Yes, that's what determines wether you pass or fail."

"Teamwork, is that what you mean?" I questioned quietly.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean, It's too late now, but if all three of you had come at me, you might have been able to take them. Well, anyway, it's over."

"You put together a three man squad, but had only two bells, you perpously pitted us against each other." I stated, "Correct" he confirmed.

"I wanted to see if you could overcome that, and out the squad in front of yourself. a genin should have a natural feel for teamwork, but you, it never even crossed your mind. Sakuraa, you may have realized you had to use teamwork, but if someone said no, you would give up immediately, correct?" He assumed, I only nodded. "Naruto, you do everything on your own, everything. And you Sasuke," he began, pushing Sasuke's face into the dirt, "thought the others were so far beneath you they were worthless.Arrogance, ninja missions are carried out in squads, of course you need indivisual skills, but teamwork is the most essential skill. Every Shinobi understands this, when indivisuals put themselves before the squad, it can lead to failure, and death. For example." he began as he pulled a kunai out of his pouch. "Sakura, kill Naruto, now, or Sasuke dies." He commanded. I tensed, even knowing this was a trick, it scared me half to death. He removed the kunai from Sasuke's neck. "That's what happens on a mission." Naruto sighed with relief. "the enemy takes a hostage, and you have an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line."He finally got off of Sasuke.

"Did you look at this stone?The names ingraved on it?" he inquired. They are all ninja, who are honored as ninja in this village." I felt a pang in my chest. I knew too many people who would soon be on that stone.

"That's it, that's it that's it!! Now I know!! I've decided I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone!! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing, like a dog, I'm gonna be a hero, a hero!!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke walked back during this.

"Naruto please don't say that..." I begged, hand to my chest.

"They are...a special kind of hero..." Kakashi began.

"Huh? What kind of ninjas are they, c'mon, tel us!" Naruto exclaimed.

"They're all...K.I.A" He responded.

"Oohh...that sounds real cool!" Naruto said.

"Naruto, K.I.A means killed in action, each name on this stone died, honorably, granted, but still." I told him.

"This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends are engraved here." Kakashi stated. I lowered my gaze.

"alright, I'm going to give you one last chance, but I'm going to make it much harder on you, you'll have three hours to get a bell eat lunch now to build up strength, but, Naruto doesn't get any." Kakashi ordered. "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat lunch by yourself."

and it anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail." Kakashi stated."I make the rules, you follow them." He ordered. "Got it?"

---

Naruto was going on about how it was okay he had no food, even though his stomach made it obvious it was not okay. Sasuke held up his food for Naruto to eat.

"here...' was all he said.

I sighed. "Yeah, Naruto you should eat." I stated.

"If Naruto is hungry it weakens the team, that jepordizes the mission." He replied.

"Well I never said _that..._" I mumbled.I stood up. "open up..." I ordered. "But Sakura-chan, isn't that your lunch?" he inquired. "Well...I already ate some anyway, I mean, what's the hurt in giving you the rest, just...hurry up and eat! Before Kakashi gets back." I ordered. He did so, and I stuck the rice in his mouth, which he gladly swallowed.

Suddenly there was a huge explosion from behind us, and Kakashi jumped out of the smoke. "You!" He yelled. Naruto was just about having a heart attack. I struggled to keep my ground the wind was so strong.

"You broke the rules," he accused. "I hope your ready for the punishment!" He did some handsigns. Then black clouds formed above us, and it started to thunder.

"Any last words?" He inquired. "Just try it! We never did anything wrong!" I yelled. "Y-y-yeah...Y-you S-s-said..." Naruto sputtered out.

"Yes...?" Kakashi asked, sounding impatient. "You said there were three of us! That's what you said! And that's why, sakura...and..." He trailed off.

"We're all on this squad and we're all in this together." Sasuke stated. "The three of us are one!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Believe it! That's right!" Naruto yelled soon after.

"the three of you are one? That's your excuse?" Kakashi asked, as he advanced on us. "...You pass." He stated.

"Huh?" Was Naruto's only responce. "You. Pass," He replied, slower this time. "Your the first squad that ever succeeded, the others did exactly what I said, and fell into every trap.They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception, In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true. But, those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." He stated, by now the skies had cleared again. Naruto was near tears, Sasuke was smirking, and I was just standing there smiling slightly.

"He's uh...you know...he's kinda cool." Naurto stated.

"the excersize is over, Everyone passes, Squad, seven starts it's first mission tomorrow!" He said, giving us the...good guy pose...

_Oh, My God, please make him stop, make him stop. _I thought.

Naruto was screaming that he was a ninja, that he did it, making it very clear he was proud of himself.

"Let's go home." He commanded. Sasuke and I both left, Naruto however, was...wait.

"Oh!" I said as I turned around to untie Naruto.

**Woot! okay...that took FOREVER!! I had to watch the video, bit by bit off of youtube to get the words right...Gosh. Okay, well at least it's done! Please, tell me what you think, and tell me if I have a typo anywhere, and I'll fix it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**OOOOOOOKaaaaayyyyyyy...finally, I update, sorry. I know 'it wasn't that long! blah blahblah! Well you know what!? I DONT CARE!!! ahem anyway...heres the story, again, there may be typos, tell me if you find one, and I'll fix it. **

"Sasuke...I'm at point b."

"Sakura, I'm at point c."

"Naruto, I'm at point A! Believe it!"

"Your slow Naruto...Okay, squad seven...hmm?" There was a pause... "The target has moved!!" Kakashi announced. "Follow it!" The 'target' jumped into the bushes. We all closed in on it.

"What's your distance from the target?" Kakashi asked. "five meters." Naruto replied. "I'm ready, just give the signal..."

"I'm ready, too" Sasuke announced. I just gave a quiet. "mmhm..." of agreement.

"Okay..." Kakashi started. "Now!" We all closed in on the 'target' but Naruto got to it first. Of course, it started attacking him, but that's beside the point. Sasuke was off at the side, one hand in his pocket the other on his ear piece, loking the other way. I had to peel the cat off of Naruto, which settled in my arms.

"Can you verify a ribbon on it's right ear?" Kakashi asked. "Affirmative, we have a positive I.D." sasuke replied.

"Right, Lost pet 'Tora' captured." Kakshi stated, "Mission accomplished."

"...CAN'T WE GET A BETTER MISSION THAN THIS?! I HATE CATS!!" Naruto screeched. causing the earpeice to start screeching and ringing.

---

As planned, we got the cat back to it's owner, who was smuthering it with what, I assumed, She thougth of as 'love' I personally thought of it as homocide, but hey. We all have different opinions.

"Ha ha ha. Stupid cat! That kitty deserves to be squashed!" Naruto stated, in between laughs. "Aww, no wonder the poor thing ran away." I said quietly, not ment for them to hear, but I think they did anyway.

"Now then, for squad seven's next mission we have several available tasks; Baby sitting the cheif councilers three-year-old, Helping his wife to do the shopping, Digging up Patatoes, and--"

"NOOO!!!" Naruto protested, as the Hokage (whom I had almost cried for after seeing) looked up from his paper work. "I wanna go on a real mission!" He exclaimed, putting his arms up in an 'X' form. "Something challenging and exciting, not this kid's stuff! C'mon old man!"

"How dare you!" Iruka yelled. "Your just a brand new genin with no experience, Like everyone else you start with simple missions to develope your skills and improve yourself!"

"Are you kidding?! Baby sitting isn't a mission, it's just a stupid--AAGGHH!!" Naruto was cut off by Kakashi, whom had just knocked him upside the head.

"Will you put a lid on it?" Kakashi asked, sounding, obviously, impatient.

"Naruto, it seems you have not understood the tasks you have been given..." The hokage (I was still holding back from crying whenever he spoke) explained. After that, I stopped listening, I didn't really care, anyway, I already knew. Plus, everyone else would stop paying attention mid-way through it anyway.

"So I had this tonkatsu Ramen yesterday, and I'm thinking of having miso ramen today and--"

"SILENCE!!" The Hokage commanded.

"Oh, sorry..." Kakashi, apologized. I was getting impatient,

_And I thought reliving memories would be fun... _I thought as I tugged at my red, corset style top a little bit.

I looked at Naruto, only to see he had turned away from the Hokage, his arms crossed and he was pouting.

_Woops, I missed his speech... _I thought.

Sasuke looked up at the hokage, surprised, and Naruto stopped pouting, but didn't turn around yet.

"...I'm going to give you a C ranked mission..." Dammit! I tuned out again! Okay...Pay. Attention.

"You'll be body gaurds on a journey."

"Really?" Naruto asked, finally turning around to face the hokage. "YES!! Who? Who?! Are we guarding a princess? Or some big league counciler?"

"Don't be so impatient." The hokage said. "We can bring him in now, Send in the visitor." he commanded.

We all turned around. "What the? A bunch of other snot nosed kids?" He took a gulp from his bottle of alchohol.

"Oh Lord..." I said quietly, hand to my forehead, other hand on my hip. "And you, the little on with the idiotic look on your face, do you really expect me to belive your a ninja?" He asked.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his..." He trailed off as realization hit him...Sasuke and I were both taller than him.

"I'll demolish you!!" He screeched, Kakashi grabbed his collar though. "You can't demolish your client Naruto. It doesn't work that way." Kakashi stated.

He took another drink of his alchohol. "I am Tazuna, master bridge builder, and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world, and I expect you to get me there safely even if it means ricking your own lives." He said. I stepped forword untill I was in front of him and he could see me clearly. I bowed.

"Regardless of Naruto's behavior, you can expect us to risk anything to get you to your country safely." I stated.

---

As soon as we walked through the gates of Konoha, Naruto turned around, thrust his arms up and let out a screech of accomplishment.

"All right!!!" He exclaimed. "This is the first time I ever left the village! I'm a traveler now! Believe it!"

"Hey, am I suppost to trust my life with this runt, he's a joke!" Tazuna said. Kakashi chuckled.

"He's with me and I'm a jounin, so there's no need to worry." Kakashi stated.

"Hey! never insult a ninja, it's a big mistake! And I'm the greatest ninja ever! Somedoy I'm going to be a hokage and you'll look up to me! My name's Naurto Uzumaki! Remember it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hokage are powerful and wise, you are puny brainless. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly." Tazuna stated. Okay, now I was pissed.

"Aahh!! Shut up!! I'm willing to do anything to become hokage!! No matter what it takes! And then everyone will have to admit that I'm a top ninja including you!!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Heh...You can become hokage ten times over and to me you'll still be nobody, a loser." He stated.

"Ahh...I'm gonna make you pay for that right now---"

"I told you, your suppost to protect the client, not attack him." Tazuna had started to walk away, as he walked by me I stopped him.

"Tazuna," I began, he looked at me. "We're doing you a favor, bringing you to your village. I know I said we would risk anything and everything to protect you, but If you keep treating us like crap, I can't gaurantee You'll live to finish the bridge." I hissed, just low enough so only he could hear me, and unbeknowest to me, Sasuke could hear. "Are you saying you'd leave me to die?" He asked.

"Why of course not," I said. "I'm just suggesting, if there happened to be an...'accident'...and us poor, defensless genin just couldn't do anything to help..." I trailed off, knowing he got the picture. "Hm..." He said, I could tell he was pretty pissed off at me.

---

"Kakashi, are--err--Kakashi-sensei, there aren't any ninja in the land of waves, are there?" I asked. "Well, yes, that's correct..." He said, then went into some huge speech about villages and such. When it ended I said.

"Really, so Hokage-sama is vey important, isn't he."

_It's just terrible he doesn't live much longer after this... _I thought, knowing the hokage was very powerful, and not doubting him like I had in the previous life.

"Hey!!" Kakashi yelled. "You just doubted the Lord Hokage, didn't you?" He accused. Naruto was freaking out, but I didn't. I had no reason to if I didn't doubt him.

---

"Uhh...Kakashi can I talk to you?" I asked. "yes, Sakura?" He asked, clearly not fazed by the lack of 'sensei' in his name. "It hasn't rained in days..." I stated. "So, you noticed...?" he assumed. "Yeah..." I replied. "Don't worry about it."He assured. I nodded and walked back up to the front of the group. even though I knew the puddle was there _weeks_ beforewe saw it, It didn't hurt to pretend I had just noticed it.

"what?"

"AAHHH!!" I turned around to see Kakashi bound by chains. His body was pulled apart. My eyes widened and I choked back a scream. Even though I knew it wasn't really him, it was still...unnerving.

"Kakashi-sensei!!" Naruto screamed. Then the two guys were behind Naruto. "Now it's your turn.." One said. They lashed out to attack him.

"NARUTO!! Move Dammit!!" I screamed, completely forgetting about my attempt to seem at least, _slightly _less foul mouthed. I teleported over there and blocked Naruto, leaving a clone to block Tazuna. Then Sasuke came and pinned their chain to a tree with a shiruken and a kunai. Then he jumped on both of them and kicked them both square in the jaw, I smirked. Then they broke free, one went for Naruto, and the other for Tazuna, I knew protecting Tazuna was the top priority, so I ran over to tazuna, not noticing my arm get nipped my the guy-after-naruto's blade , and jumped in front of Tazuna as my clone dissapeared.

"Stay behind me!" I ordered. "I thought there would be an 'accident.'" He said, remembering my words to him. "Do you want there to be?!" I demanded. "O-of course not!" He replied. "Then shut the _Hell _up!" I yelled, not taking my eyes off of the guy-after-Tazuna. Before the guy got to close, Sasuke jumped in front of me. He got ready for impact, while I relaxed a little bit, knowing Kakashi would show up.

He got closer...

_any time now.._

Closer...

_C'mon Kakashi..._

Closer still...

"Fuck..." I mumbled, as I pulled out two shiruken and another kunai. Then, finally, Kaakshi showed up and stopped the guy. "Hi..." He said. I let out a breathe I didn't know I was holding.

"Naruto...sorry that I didn't help you right away, I didn't mean for you to get hurt, I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that." Kakashi said. Tazuna let out a breathe.

"Good job Sasuke, very smooth, you too Sakura..."

"That's code for, 'Naruto, you sucked, You were kinda good Sakura, but you were awesome sasuke..." I mumbled as I rolled my eyes. I saw Sasuke steel a quick glance at me, but I ignored it.

"Hey..." Sasuke began as he looked at Naruto. "Your not hurt are you?" He faked sympathy, "Scaredy-cat..." Naruto seemed to get upset by this, and was about to charge when Kakashi spoke up.

"Naruto! Don't move, these ninja have poison in their claws, we need to take it out of you quickly, You have to open the wound and remove it, it is in your blood so don't move around. It spreads the poison. Sakura! I understand you got scratched, too." He said as he looked at me. I cocked my head, clearly confused.

"On your arm, you must have gotten it when you went back to protect Tazuna." A voice clarified, but it wasn't Kakashi, I turned to Sasuke, then looked at my arm.

"Aww...Fuck..." I muttered. I pulled out a kunai, and shoved it in the wound. I winced.

I flicked the kunai out of the wound, having it resulting in blood. "Dammit..." I mumbled, I covered it up with my hand, although the blood seeped through my fingers, and reached inside my pack, getting out a healing herb and a cloth. I quickly pressed the herb on my wound, causing it to sting and burn, and wrapped the cloth around it. In the corner of my eye I could see Sasuke looking at me strangely, but, I mean, who wouldn't.

This supposingly 'goody two shoes' just started cussing countinuously, called him Uchiha, when I had been a fangirl less than a week ago, and now, knew about healing herbs. I am just happy I didn't have to heal it with chakra, that would raise suspiscion.

When I had finished tending to my wound, I saw the two attackers tied up to a tree having a conversation with Kakashi.

"A puddle? On a clear day? When it hasn't rained in weeks?" Kakashi pointed out. "And I'm not the only one who noticed," He said, glancing at me.

"In that case, why'd you leave it to the Genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna demanded.

"I could have taken them out quickly, but then I'd have learned nothing." Kakashi began, "I had to know who their target was," He looked towards Tazuna. "And, what they were after."

"Hm? what are you getting at?" Tazuna, clearly not getting the point, demanded. Kakashi turned towards Tazuna. "This," he began, "I wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja, or, if they were after you, the master bridge builder. When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection, from robbers and highwaymen. You didn't say there were ninja looking for you. hunting you down, If we knew this, it would be a B ranked mission or higher.

"Our task was simply to get you to your destination, and protect you while you finished building your bridge.If we knew we would be feilding attack by ninja, we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B mission. Apparently, you have your reasons, but lying to us is not acceptable, we are now beyond the scope of this mission." He finished.

I sighed, "So, in other words, your saying this is too advanced for us and we have to go back?" I assumed. "So, while we're there we can get the poison out of Naruto." Kakashi looked over at Naruto.

"Naruto's hand could become a problem. I guess we should go back to the village." He stated, Naruto seemed frustrated by this.

Naruto picked up a Kunai, and dove it into his wound

"Why am I so different?" He began. "Whay am I always...Uuugghh!!"

"Naruto..." I whispered. "I worked so hard to get here!" He continued, "Pushing myself until it hurt! Training alone for hours, anything to get stronger, to reach my dream." Blood dripped from his wound, "I will never back down again, and let someone else rescue me! I will never, run away, and I will not lose to Sasuke.

"Upon this wound, I make this pledge, believe it! Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission, and protect you with this kunai knife! A real ninja never gives up, and neither will I! Don't you guys worry about me I'll be fine! Now lets go!" He finished, I smiled a little.

"Naruto...uh, that was really coll how you took the poison out and all, eh, but f you lose anymore blood, you're going to die." Kakashi stated. There was a long silence. Naruto's face lost all it's color, and he was sweating and twitching. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now.! Kakashi suggested, his eyes arched, indicating he was smiling. "seriously."

Naruto began to freak out, no, everything _but _freak out. Shouting declorations of "I'm to young for it to end like this!' and 'No! No! NO!'

"Give me your hand," Kakashi ordered. I simply raised an eyebrow. "I don't think moving around so much is gonna help to stop the bleeding, Naruto." I stated. Although, he just ignored me.

Kakashi's eye widened slightly as he looked at the wound, "Um, ummm..." Naruto began, Kakashi looked up at him. "You have a realy serious look on you face, Your scaring me, am I okay?" Naruto asked, still shaking.

"Uhh, yeah, you should be fine." Kakashi replied as he wrapped bandages around his hand.

**Gosh...okay! done with this chapter! I hope you liked it. PLease leave a review, I only got one review from my last chapter. T.T **


	5. Chapter 5

**Special thanks to**

**XXRedWolfXX**

**you review my every chapter! Thanks a lot! The rest of you, this is what YOU do. You sit there, read the fic, then leave! I FEEL SO SAD!! You could just put a happy face and a 'lol' and I. Would. Not. Care! Well, you know something, YOU SUCK!!!**

**Well, anyway, on with the story, there might be typos, feel free to let me know if there are, we're too lazy to fix our microsoft problem...so...yeah, Wordpad it is!**

I was examining my nails with mild interest, I must have been _real _tolerant in my olod life when it came to boredom. I mean seriously, sitting in a boat, not even being able to see the sights because of the damn fog, no one was allowed to speak unless it was in a whisper, to be blunt, it _sucked._

"The bridge isn't far now, our destination's just ahead." Tazuna's friend, the one rowing the boat, explained. "the land of waves."

We all looked up at the bridge above us, it was huge. "Woah!" Naruto exclaimed. "It's _Huge!!"_

"Quiet!" The man said in a harsh whisper. "I told you no noise! Why do you think we're traveling like this, huh? cutting off the engine and rowing...moving through the dense fog, it's so they don't see us!"

Naruto clamped his hands ovver his mouth.

"Mr. Tazuna..." Kakashi started. "Before, we reach the peer, I want to ask you something." Tazuna made no efort to reply. "It's about the men who were after you. I need to know why. If you don't tell us I' afraind I'll have to end this mission after we drop you ashore."\

"I have no choice but to tell you..." He started. "No, I want you to know the truth, like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The man who seeks my life is a very short man, who casts a very long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow...?" Kakashi echoed. "hmm...who is it?"

"You know him, at least I'm sure you've heard his name before, he's one of the wealthiest men in the world, the shipping magnet, Gahto."

"Gahto? Of Gahto transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him."

Naruto seemed excited by this, "Who, who? What, what?" he demanded.

"He's a very powerful tycoon from a very famous company, that's true. But below the surface, with the same ruthless method that he uses to take over business and nations, he sells drugs, and contraband. Using gans and ninja.

"It was one year ago, when Gahto first set his sights on the land of waves. He came to our island and used his mass wealth to take total control over transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply...disapeared. In an island nation, a man who controls the sea controls everything. Finance, government, even our very lives. But there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When the bridge is complete, it will join us to the land, and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder." Tazuna explained.

"So, basically, explaining it the short way that doesn't waste valiable moments of my life, you bulding a bridge that jepordizes his control, therefore, your in his way, and he wants you gone." I concluded.

"That means, those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gahto." Sasuke added.

"I don't understand," Kakashi stated. "If you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?"

"Because the land of Waves," Tazuna began, "Is a small and poverish nation. Even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission. It's too expensive.

"If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, There will be no bridge, they'll assassinate me before I reach home. But, don't feel bad about that! Of course my sweet little grandson will be upset he'll cry, 'Granddad! I want my Granddad!!'" I frowned. He was trying to manipulate us into saying yes by throwing a pity-parety for himself! Pathetic, simply pathetic.

"Oh, and my Daughter will condem the ninja of the hidden leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow."

"Oh dear Lord..." I mumpled under my breathe. "Oh well, It's not your fault, forget it!" He said.

Kakshi scratched his forehead, "Well, I guess we have no other choice. We'll have to keep guarding you!"

"Aww, I'm very grateful!" Tazuna said, only to turn around smiling afterwords.

---

We finally arrived on land, and I had to refuse the urge to bend over, start kissing the ground, and screaming 'YES!! LAND!! THANK YOU GOD!!'. Incase you have't figured it out...I hate boats.

After a few orders from Tazuna we were off to find hids home. It was surprisingly peaceful...until Naruto decided to ruin it. "Over there!" He shouted, as he chucked a kunai at a nearby bush. "...It was just a mouse..." he stated.

"Naruto, would you mind _not _scaring the holy living crap outta' me? 'Cause I would kinda' like to...Ohh, I don't know, _not _die young." I growled.

"Naruto, those are kunai knives, they're dangerous!" Kakashi scolded

"Stop trying to scare me you scrumpy little dwarf!" Tazuna bellowed.

Nezt he threw a kunai into another bush. "Dammit, Naruto! Stop that!" I ordered.

"What? I really did see something over there! Some one is following us! I know it!" He replied. Kakahsi looked through the bushes and saw a rabbit, half scared to death, with the kunai just above it's head, having barely missed.

"Yeah, Naruto. The evil, white, rabbits of ddom are gonna' kill us all..." I drawled sarcastically. Naruto freaked out and started sqeezing the rabbit, exclaiming things like 'I'm sorry little rabbit!'

"all this fuss over a rodent...?" Tazuna mumbled. I couldn't help but to worry.

_A snow rabbit? in the middle of spring? Snow rabbits are only white during winter. That means... _I thought

No..

Nu-uh...

No way! He isn't coming yet...right? He didn't come until...

uh-oh...

"Hit the floor!!" I commanded, at the same time Kakshi had said to 'look out!' Everyone ducked when a giant sword came flying by us. It hit the tree behind us with a 'thud.' I looked behind me, only to see the thing I was hoping wouldn't come. "dammit..." I cursed.

The man had his headband, for the village hidden in the mist no doubt, set on his head so that the plate showed on the left side of his head. He had arm warmers, both with spots (the spots resembled those on a cow, infact, for all I know it could be the fur of a cow on the arm warmers). His pants were vertically striped, and were tucked into spotted leg warmers that matched his arm warmers. His face was hidden by bandages, the only thing I could see were his eyes, which were a brown color, and his hair was a dark brown. He was perched on his sword which was, currently, hanging out of the tree. He didn't look too happy.

"Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rouge ninja from the village hidden in the mist." Kakashi said. Naruto began to charge at Zabuza, until Kakashi held out his arm, in front of Naruto, to stop him from going any further.

"Your in the way, get back." Was all Kakashi said. "But why?" Naruto inquired, obviously not happy about the fact that he wasn't welcome to fight.

"He's not like those other ninja, he's in a whole other league." he stated, "If he's our oponent, I'm going this..." He reached up to his konoha headband.

"This could be trecherous..." He started.

"Kakashi of the sharingan eye? Am I correct?" Zabuza stated. Sasuke's eyes widened a little as he glanced at Kakashi. "It's too bad, huh?" Zabuza continued. "But you'll have to hand over the old man..."

_Why does being a ninja have to mean over-dramatisizing everything... _I thought, wishing the battle would end already (even though it hasn't really started yet...).

"Now quick!" Kakashi commanded. "Momji formation! Protect the bridge builder. Stay out of this fight.

"I tought you teamwork...now it's time to use it." He lifted up his headband, showing his formerly hidden left eye, it was closed, and a scar vertically lay over his eye. when he opened it, instead of being onyx like his right eye, it was red, with a black pupil, and black commas around the pupil in the iris.

"I'm ready..." He said.

"well...looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action..." Zabuza stated. "This is an honor." He turned around to face us, which showed a strange looking suspender like thing, that attached to the left sideof the waist of his pants, and wrapped loosly around his neck.

"Everyone keeps saying 'shringan! sharingan!' will someone please tell me what sharingan is?!" Naruto pleaded.

"Sharingan..." Sasuke started. "A rare power, it resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or dojutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. And reflect the attack back on the attacker. The sharingan is a specail, rare form of dojutsu. However, there's more to the Sharingan than that. A lot more."

"You got it right boy, but you only scratched the surface. The sharingan can analize an opponent's technique, and then, copy it to the smallest detail." Zabuza stated. "As for you, Jounin. In the assassination unit of the hidden mist, We had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile is in my bingo book. It called you the man who copied over a thousand jutsu. Kakashi, the copy ninja."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. After a slight pause, Zabuza spoke.

"Enough talking, I need to exterminate the old Man. Now." Tazuna seemed frightened by this (well Duh, anyone would), we all swarmed around him to protect him from Zabuza.

"So, I'll have to eliminate you, too, Kakashi? So be it." Zabuza said. He pulled his sword out of the tree, and kicked off of it's trunk. Naruto turned his head so he could see where Zabuza was.

"He's over there!" He declared. Sure enough, Zabuza was there, standing on the water. Next thing I knew, I couldn't see anything but mist where he used to be.

_this is that jutsu... _I thought. _I can't see him anywhere..._

"He vanished..." Naruto pointed out. Kakashi started to walk forward.

"He'll come after me first." He stated.

"Zabuza momochi...I think I've heard his name before...who exactly is he?" I asked, even though I knew exactly who he was.

"The ex-leader of the hidden mist assassination unit, he's a master of the silent killing technique."

"S-s-silent..." Naruto managed to sputter out.

"It's exactly as the name suggests, It happens in an instant, no sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast you pass from this life without realizing what just happened. The sharingan cannot fully neutralize it. So don't lower your guard." He explained.

There was an eerie silence following that explanation. Going through this once was enough, why do I have to go through it again! Sometimes I wonder if reliving my life is a blessing or a curse.

"Well, if we fail, we only loose our lives..." Kakashi explained.

"Or our sanity, Or maybe we'll get lucky and only loose our longing to live..." I drawled.

again it was quiet.

"The mist is geting thivker and thicker!" Naruto pointed out.

_Thanks, I couldn't see that Naruto... _I thought, sarcastically.

"The land of waves is surrounded by an ocean. The swirling mists are ever present."

Soon, the mist got so thick we couldn't even see Kakashi. The eerie silence, once again, stretched out.

"Eight points" A voice said. We all tensed. I gripped my kunai tighter. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidney, heart...now, which will be my attck point..."

Kakashi did some jutsu or something, his chakra blew past us like a strong wind, and he was glowing a blue color. Which, in result, cleared the mist.

I looked over at Sasuke, sure enough, he was just about ready to kill himself. Granted, I was pretty close to that stage, too. Infact, I was fairly sure I was shaking. Which, of course, surprised me. I mean, I'm a freakin' ANBU and I'm shaking 'cause of this? Man, my genin brain is taking over.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi exclaimed. "Don't worry, I'll protect you with my life. All of you. I will not allow my comrads to die. Trust me..." He said, turning around to face us, his eyes were arched, indicationg he was smiling.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." The voice said.

Next thing Zabuza was inbetween Tazuna and us genin. I was about to turn around and use a jutu, but stopped myself in fear of hurting Tazuna or my comrads, or even giving myself away as an ANBU.

However, Kakashi dove in and tackled Zabuza. The mist came back, making it nearly impossible to see them. The wound from Kakashi's kunai started to drip, something, but not blood, instead it was Water.

...a water clone...

Zabuza was behind him. Naruto yelled out, but his call was ignored as Zabuza lifted his sword, and took a swipe at Kakashi. Hitting him dead on, but hitting...again, a water clone.

From behind, Kakashi pulled out a Kunai, and held it to his neck, "Don't move," He commanded. "Now it's over...Your finished."

"Alright!!" Naruto bellowed. However, much to our dismay, Zabuza, of all things, started to chuckle. "Finished..." he echoed. "You really don't get it do you...You technic is nothing but a crass imitation. I'll never be defeted by a mere copycat ninja like you." He started to chuckle again.

"You are full of surprises though, You'd already copied my water clone jutsu when you made your little speech. Very skillfully executed. You made your clone say those words to draw my attention. While you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make my move...

"...Nice try...but I'm not that easy to fool." He sadid as he appeared from behind Kakashi. The Zabuza in front of Kakashi turned into water. Naruto pointed out that was a clone.

Zabuza swung his sword towards Kakashi, he ducked, and in result, Zabuza's sword swung back around him and lodged itself in the ground. Zabuza switched the hand he was holding it with, and used it to balance himself as he attempted to kick Kakashi, in which he succeeded.

"Now..." He proclaimed, as he pulled his sword out of the grounf and made a dash for Kakashi, but stopped due to the makabishi spikes lying on the ground in front of him. He looked around him, muttered a "foolosh" then jumped off as Kakashi landed in the water.

Kakashi puked out of the water, his upper-torso out of the water, but the rest was still in. Zabuza jumped on the water behind him. "Water prison jutsu!" He yelled, and Kakashi was trapped in a water bubble.

Zabuza started to chuckle, "This prison is made out of water, but is stronger steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later, but first, you'll little friends will have to be eliminated." He truned towards us.

"Water clone jutsu!" He exclaimed.

A clone of Zabuza emerged from the water.

"You think wearing a head band makes you a ninja..." the clone spoke. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly your profile is entered in my bingo bookm then you may have earned the title ninja."

He lifted his hands to do a jutsu.

"To be put in your bingo book is a path straight to Hell! Your 'book' has nothing to do with being a ninja, it's being a demon that gets you in there!" I spoke.

"Brave words, girl..." He replied. "To call upstarts like you ninja, it's a joke." With that said he disappeared. Next thing, Naruto was flying through the air, and his headband had fallen off, as soon as it hit the ground Zabuza struck the headband with his foot.

"You're just brats." He said as he looked down on Naruto. I flinched.

"Listen, get the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone! But the clone can't go far from it's real body! If you get away from him he can't follow! Now run!"

"But...But that won't work!" I protested.

"Sakura--"

"It won't! Don't you see! He'll kill you, then come after us! It would be easier for him to kill you when we're gone! And we won't get far by the time he does! He'll catch up to us and kill us! All of us! Or worse...Or worse the bridge builder!!" I explained. "Besides...You said you wouldn't let your comrads die, do you think we want to let ours die!"

"We've got to do it..." Sasuke said before dashing off towards Zabuza. "Sasuke!" I yelled in protest, but he ignored me. He threw shiruken at Zabuza which he easily deflected with his sword. Sasuke lunged at him, but it only ended in him being caught by Zabuza by the throat. Zabuza chucked him off to the side.

"Dammit..." I mumbled.

"He...He got Sasuke..." Naruto mumbled, he seemed to get ready to run, until, he stood up and charged towards Zabuza.

"Naruto, No!" Kakashi protested.

"Uzumaki, Naruto!" I yelled. Totally forgetting the reason he goes to get his headband. He reached Zabuza, only to be pushed back, dust swirled everywhere, from what I could see he wasn't moving. Once the dust cleared he was lying on the ground. All I could do was stare as he struggled to stand, revealing the object in his hand...

...His headband...

I sighed. _All of this for the headband... _

"Hey, you..." He started, once he was able to stand. "The freak with no eyebrows, put this in your bingo book! The ninja that will become hokage of the village hidden in the leaves..." He put his headband on. "He never backs down...His name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Alrgith Sasuke, listen up can you hear me?" Naruto demanded

"Yeah I hear you..."

"I've got a plan..."

"Tch...so your finally thinking about teamwork,huh?"

"If I remember right, you didn't exactly think about teamwork earlier when you got your ass kicked..." I mumbled. Unfortunately, he heard, earning me the infamous Uchiha death glare, and a 'hn' to match.

"Alright, now guys...lets go wild!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, ready? Let's bring this guy down..." Naruto said.

"Big words for such a little man, you think your plans going to keep you in the game?"

"What are you doing? I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught! Now take off!" Kakashi demanded. "You'r mission is not to prove how brave you are! It's to save the bridge builder! Stay on mission!"

"Bridge builder...?" Naruto asked as he turned around to face Tazuna.

"Well I...I guess...This all happened because of me...because of my desire to live, but I won't let that stand in your way now. Forget about me and do what you have to do! Go ahead and fight to save your sensei!" He replied.

I smirked. _Now your talkin' _

"Alright you hear that?" Sasuke inquired.

"Yeah, believe it, you ready?" Naruto replied.

again, Zabuza began to chuckle. Which, inevedably, turned into wicked laughter. 'You really haven't learned anything have you? Still playing you little game...Pretending to be ninja. When I was your age, This hand had already crushed many opponents."

"Zabuza...the demon..." Kakashi said.

"Ahhh...So I was in your book too huh?" he replied.

"The final test in the bloody mist..." I said. "You were..."

"You know about the graduation exam...?" He asked me.

"..." I was still going through history, trying to fiure out the whole story.

"What graduation exam?" Naruto asked.

Zabuza began to chuckle.

"What's the big deal anyway? We had graduation tests too!"

"Our wasn't wasn't like the test he's refurring to..." I said.

Zabuza's chuckle turned into a laugh. "She's right...Did you have to kill the other students to pass?' He asked. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Imagine, young ninja like you, eating together, training together, and then comes the final exam, only they change the rules, kill, or be killed. You can't stop while your opponent still breathes. He was your friend, shared your dreams! Now it's him...or you..." He explained

"Ten years ago it changed though, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, one year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror."

"He..." I trailed off.

"Without hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja, approached the calss, and took down a hindred other students."

"It...it felt so...good!" Zabuza said.

Zabuza dashed up and elbowed Sasuke in the stomach, sending him flying. Then when he hit the ground, he, yet again, elbowed him in the stomach. He screamed. He stepped on his stomach.

Naruto did a shadow clone justu, surrounding Zabuza, However, Zabuza took the shadow clones out fairly easily.

Naruto threw a giant shiruken up at Sasuke, which Sasuke caught with ease.

"Demon wind Shiruken! Windmill of Shadows!" He exclaimed, before jumping up in the air and thrusting the weapon towards Zabuza. However, the weapon went right past Zabuza, and headed straight for the _real _Zabuza. He caught the shiruken with his unnoccupied hand. But a second shiruken came heading straight towards him. He only dodged the shiruken, keeping hold of both the first shiruken, and the jutsu.

"I told you a shiruken can't touch me!" He said. But that shiruken morfed into Naruto, a kunai at hand, which he threw straight at Zabuza. Zabuza couldn't hold the jutsu, and dodger the kunai, so he was forced to drop the jutsu.

In his rage, he got ready to throw the shiruken at Naruto while he was still airborn.

"I'll destroy you..." He said. But thankfully, a dripping wet Kakashi blcoked Naruto. And Kakashi looked mad as Hell.

"Naruto..." he began, "...That was an excellent plan. You've really grown, haven't you?"

"I knew I couldn't beat him with my shadow clones, that was just to distact him! He fought the clones while I turned into the demon wind shiruken! He didn't know what to do! believe it!" He explained. "I used one of the clones to transform into the shiruken. And when I threw it to Sasuke, It looked like a real Shiruken. Sasuke could tell it was me in a second. He spun around so no one could tel, and pulled out his own shiruken. Now there were two shiruken, one was real, one was me!

"I hid in the shadow of the other shiruken, and my target was the real Zabuza. Of course I knew that I couldn't fight Zabuza myself, that was just to get rid of the water prison jutsu! I didn't know his clone would be wrecked too! Hah! That was a bonus, Belive it!"

"Don'y brag, you just lucked out..." Sasuke stated, before Tazuna could get a word in, I spoke up.

"_Luck? Luck?! _That's what you call it, _luck!_ That was anything but luck! That was flawlessly working together, not flipping LUCK!!"

"The whole thing was just a fluke!" Tazuna exclaimed.

"Fluke? What do you mea--"

"Sakura..." Sasuke started.

"WHAT?" I demanded, which awarded we with a glare. "Shut up." I only glared back in responce.

"Hmm, I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison..." Zabuza stated.

"Don't flatter yourself, You weren't distracted, you were forced to let go." Kakashi replied.

"Your technic worked on me once, but it won't work again. So what's it gonna' be?"

"Sakura, you know what to do..." Sasuke said. I glanced at him, then moved in to protect Tazuna.

Zabuza twitched, then folded the shiruken up and pushed it against Kakashi's hand. Kakashi flicked his wrist and sent the shiruken flying. They both jumped off, then jumped back onto the water. Zabuza did some hand signs, which Kakashi copied. They both did the water dragon jutsu. Causing the water to splash around violently, resulting in it rushing past us. I grunted, trying not to let byself fall becayse of the strength of the current.

They were both at eachothers necks (almost) Zabuza's sword, against Kakahsi's Kunai. Water was flying everywhere. After a long while, they both jumped apart again. They starrted running in a circle, never getting any closer or any further away.

"He's not just mimiking, he's doing hthe same moves at the same time." Tazuna sai. I nodded in agreement.

"Going to do next?"

"It makes you furious, doesn't it."

Were the thinkgs I heard Kakashi say, but I heard nothing from Zabuza.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks, I'll crush you." They both said, simuntaneously.

"When I'm finished with you, you'll never open that monkey-mouth again!" Zabuza excalimed

"Water style! Giant Vortex Jutsu!" Kakashi yelled.

A giant wave of water came up fromt he ocean. "Impossible!" Zabuza yelled before being swept away by Kakashi's jutsu.

The wind and water was so strong I had to struggle to stay standing, My eyes were barely open. I grabbed the nearest thing to me, in hopes of staying standing, Whatever it was I was holding onto seemed to stumble, but then stayed still. I figured it was Tazuna. Naruto was stil in the water.

The next thing I saw was Zabuza, kunai imbedded in him. along with two senbon needles, not from any of us. He immediately fell to the ground.

I noticed I haden't let go of what I held onto. I had one hand on Tazuna's shoulder, and the other was...Oh crap.

I quickly released my death grip on Sasuke's shoulder. Which resulted in him flexing his shoulder a little, no doubt to shake the feeling off of my death grip.

"Thanks..." I mumbled, he just looked at me.

"For not making any snide remarks..." I clarified, he just turned his attention back to Kakashi and the stranger.

Kakashi was making sure Zabuza was dead. "No vital signs." he looked up at the boy. The boy bowed.

"Thank you, I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time. waiting for this chance, to finally take him down." He said

"By your mask, I see that your a tracker ninja from the village hidden in the mist."

"Impressive, your well infromed." He replied, well actually, he sounded, and looked more like she, but all well.

"Augh, a Tracker!" Naruto yelled, getting into a defense position.

"Naruto, no, he's not a threat, Trackers hunt down rouge ninja, because the rouge ninja have secrets of their people. They are trained to eliminate them. We are not to harm him." I explained.

"That's correct, I'm a member of the elite tracker unite of ht evillage hidden in the mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza."

For a while it was quiet, but Naruto ran up and started to yell,

"What is this!? Who do you think you are?!" The tracker ninja was quiet.

"Did you hear me?"

"Easy, Naruto, he's not our enemy." Kakashi said

"That's not the point, did you see what he did?! Just like that?! Zabuza was huge! and powerful like some kind of monster! And this kid, who's no bigger than me! He brought down Zabuza with one move! Like it was nothing! I mean, what does that make us?! We're just fumbling aournd, we don't know anything! How can I accept that!"

"Well..." Kakashi replied. "Even if you don't accept it, still, it did happen Naruto. In this world, there are kids who are younger than you, and yet, stronger than me."

The ninja picked Zabuza up, "Your struggle is over for now, I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body, They must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please Excuse me." He said, before dissapearing.

Kakashi pulled his headband back down over his eye. Naruto began to run after the kid.

"He's gone Naruto..." Kakashi said. "Let it go." He got down on his knees and started pounding the ground. I knew how he felt. There were so many times I felt that way. Not strong enough, not good enough...

I took a step foreword. "Naruto..." I mumbled under my breath. Kakashi caught his wrist before he could hit the ground again.

"As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy. Save your anger, for the next enemy." Kakashi turned to face us. "We still haven't completed the mission yet." I walked closer, knowing he would fall soon. " We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

"Hahaha... Sorry about all the trouble I caused ya'! You can rest at my house!" Tazuna replied. I was right next to Kakashi now.

"Alright, lets get a move on..." He said as he started to walk. He began to fall, I slid my arm around his abdomen, I didn't manage to stop him from falling, but I lessened the impact. Everyone ran over.

"kakashi-sensei..." Naruto said, worry evident in his voice. "Kakashi-sensei!!"

**Wow...that was kinda-sorta long...Well, anyway I hope you liked it! Please review!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, I'm happy I got reviews from more people this time! Thank you! We fixed Microsoft…finally…so there probably won't be typos. I hope you like it!**

"Look the sensei's coming around." Naruto said.

"Okay, Kakashi, no offense or anything, but, _please, _next time you use sharingan, don't pass out..."I mumbled, examining my newly sprained wrist. When I had attempted to catch Kakashi, my wrist twisted in an awkward position, causing it to sprain, stupid fragile, flimsy, weak, little arms. I tried to bend my wrist, but only received a streak of pain jolt up my arm, causing me to wince. Kakashi chuckled and muttered a 'sorry.'

"Huh...well...We did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassins, so we'll be safe for a while.

"Right...but the boy with the mask didn--"

"Yeah, what about the boy?" Naruto interrupted.

"He didn't ki--" I said, desperately trying to save us the trouble of figuring it out.

"He's from the elite tracking unit of the village hidden in the mist. Those masks are only worn by the most elite shinobi." Kakashi stated. I sighed.

"The ANBU blackopps, or the inferno squad, destroy all traces of a rouge ninjas corps, The shinobi's body contains many secrets, ninjutsu, chakra, special medicines used on his body. They are the secrets of his body, if an enemy finds them, his people are in grave danger. For example, if you were to die, the enemy would try to analyze your sharingan, no doubt. Your entire jutsu could be stolen, and used against our home village. It is their duty to prevent this and keep the villages secrets safe." I clarified.

"Yes, how do you know so much about this?" Kakashi inquired.

"I read, my father had tons of ninja scrolls." I lied.

_I was a freakin ANBU for God's sake, of course I would know! _Is what I wanted to say.

He nodded. "If a ninja betrays his village, the trackers hunt him down, eliminate him, and obliterate every trace of his existence. That's their specialty."

"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked. before he could answer I had to talk.

"Kakashi, I really need to talk to you about something."

"Hmm? Oh...I'm fine Naruto, and, what is it Sakura?" He replied.

I sighed. _Finally._I thought. "That boy, he hit Zabuza in two pressure points in his neck. There's no way that could have killed him, judging by where they were and how far they went in. I just...I just don't think he's...Plus, he took the body away. He should have..." I trailed off. I couldn't figure out the words to say.

"Yeah...tracker ninjas deal with he body on the spot. He took the body away, as you said. And the weapons you mentioned...very good Sakura..." he mumbled the last part, going into thought.

"What are you yammering about, you demolished that assassin!" Tazuna objected.

"Here's the truth--" Kakashi started

"Zabuza's still alive." I finished with him. Naruto and Tazuna were everything but freaking out...okay...everything _and _freaking out.

"But we saw his body! Believe it!"

"He could have been in simply a near death state." Kakashi replied.

"Yeah," I agreed. "If you hit the right pressure points, you can virtually 'kill' a person, putting them in a near death state, only temporary, to make it seem like he's dead."

"The weapon that tracker used are called senbon, they can rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ." Kakashi stated.

"Not in the neck..." I added.

"Yes..." he agreed."Their modified for methods used for medical treatment, like acupuncture. Trackers are trained to know every detail of the human body, causing the heart to stop temporarily while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for them. First, he carried Zabuza's body, even though it was much bigger than he. Second, he used Senbon needles. With these two factors, we can conclude that the tracker wasn't trying to kill Zabuza..."

"he was trying to save him." I finished. He nodded.

"C'mon, your over thinking this aren't you?" Tazuna suggested.

"Encountering suspicion, the ninja prepares quickly, hesitation leads to disaster. Every shinobi knows this saying."

Naruto actually seemed happy about the fact Zabuza was alive. I shot him a confused glance but then turned my attention back to Kakashi.

"So..." I started. "When do we start training?"

"Tomorrow, remember the soul reason I beat Zabuza is because you all helped me. We need to work as a team. You've all grown. Naruto," Naruto looked at Kakashi, "You've grown the most."

"So you noticed Kakashi-sensei! Now things are going to get better believe it!"

"I don't believe it! And nothing's going to be good!" a voice said from behind us. We all turned around to see Tsunami's son, Inari.

"Who are you?" Naruto demanded.

"Ahh! Inari! How've you been?" Tazuna inquired, as Inari ran to him, exclaiming "Welcome home, Grandpa!" Tsunami started to scold him on how rude he was being at the moment. Tazuna just said "That's okay. That's okay, I'm rude to them too!"

Inari turned to him mother. "Mom, don't you see, these people are gonna' die!"

_Nice pep-speech... _I thought.

"Gatoh's gonna' come back and find them and wipe them all out!"

"What did you say, Brat!" Naruto demanded, standing up. "Listen up, you know what a super ninja is?! Well, that's me, only a lot better! I'm gonna' be Hokage! This Gatoh, or Blahtoh, or whatever he's called doesn't match for a real hero like me!"

"Hah, there's no such thing as a hero...You're just full of stupid ideas!"

"What you say!" Naruto exclaimed as he started to advance on Inari, I grabbed him by his hair and forced him to sit.

"Calm down, Naruto..." I hissed.

"If you want to stay alive, you should go back where you came from." Inari stated.

"Inari, wait, where are you going?" Tazuna asked.

"To look out at the ocean, I want to be alone!" With that said, he left. Naruto was still fuming. I leaned over and whispered.

"Naruto, if you try to chase after him, you're headband's gonna end up _in the ocean_..." I warned.

"You wouldn't..."

"Really? I wouldn't? You want to test that theory?"

"No..." He grumbled, but kept his glare on the door Inari had just walked through.

"Sorry, about that..." Tazuna apologized. I had a feeling, even though I threatened him, he would still go after Inari. I sighed.

"Idiot..." I mumbled.

---

"Alright, training starts now..." Kakashi ordered. "First, we will begin with a review of Chakra, a ninja's basic source of power...understand? Understanding Chakra is essential."

"We know that..." Sasuke stated.

"He's right! A long time ago we learned about...uhh...Catra!"

"Chakra...?" Kakashi clarified, hanging his head "Go ahead Sakura..."

"Chakra: the elemental light energy a ninja uses in jutsu, it's the source of all his power. This energy has two forms, physical energy, which exists in all the cells in the human body..."

_Of which a certain __jutsu__ can reformulate and/or take away that physical energy_

"Spiritual energy: the prime source of power which is intensified through training and experience..."

_Which I've gotten much too much of..._

"These two forms of chakra must be drawn out and fought together in order to perform jutsu..."

_Which I already _understand

"The key is the interplay between physical and spiritual chakra...Hand signs are what focus and unleash the Chakra...That good enough?" I asked, turning to Kakashi.

"Right on all points, Iruka really did have some excellent students..."

_I would hope so, considering my brain power is the equivalent to a 40 year old... _(A/N- She was 27 when she was sent back in time, but she was advanced when it came to her smarts) I thought.

"What's the point of these complicated explanations! The whole point is to learn the jutsu, isn't it?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto's right for once, we're already using Chakra in our jutsu..." Sasuke stated, I just rolled my eyes.

"No! You have not mastered this power you have barely started to scratch the surface of it..." Kakashi stated.

"What do you mean!?"

"Calm dow--"

"He means," I interrupted. "You may know how to use Chakra in a jutsu, but you don't know how to control and manipulate that chakra, I've met people who can mold their chakra into a solid object, swords, knives, etc. Without breaking a sweat,"

_Primarily __me__ right now..._

"I don't think any of us, genin, can do that..." I stated.

"Yes, calm down and listen, it's just like Sakura said, you have to draw on physical and spiritual energies, and then combine them within yourself. But...how do you do that..." He began. Okay, now it's just boring, I've learned far more advanced skills than this for God's sake! I know how to heal myself, I know how to change what I look like by _moving my freakin' cells!_ I don't need to learn this! I already know it!

"...even if you produce a lot of Chakra, if you can't balance and produce it it's worthless! The jutsu won't work at all. Or it will all be a joke. You waste so much energy that way, then your out of chakra, and you can't fight at all. You're just a target."

"So how do we change that?"

"Train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature. To complete this goal you must be ready to put your life on the line..."

"And we have to--" He cut me off but his chuckling...

"Climb a tree..." he voiced my thought.

"Climb a tree?" Naruto and Sasuke exclaimed...well, Naruto exclaimed it. Sasuke's tone was more like a what-are-you-smoking-and-where-can-I-get-some-because-you-must-be-pretty-high-to-think-climbing-a-tree-can-help-us-with-controling-our-chakra kind of tone.

"Yes, there's just one rule, no hands..." Kakashi explained.

We were all quiet. "Let's see..." Kakashi began. He made a hand sign walked over to a tree, then, started to walk up the tree using no hands.

Well, you get the idea," he said, hanging upside down from a branch. "You'll learn to channel a precise amount of chakra to a precise point in your body. This is difficult, even for advanced ninja...

"This type of climbing requires a lot of physical and spiritual energy, and the bottoms of the feet, are the most difficult part to do that. Are you getting the picture? If you can master this, you'll be able to master any jutsu...Well, theoretically."

He went on, "The second point is to be able to maintain your chakra levels. When a ninja is focused in battle it's even harder to control and maintain its charka levels, a deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining, chakra must become second nature. Effortless. Well I can talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills will it? You need to apply the power of chakra, through training."

He threw a few kunai in front of us. "Use the kunai knife to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb, without using your hands. Then try to get past the mark the next time, and the next, and the next. At first you'll have to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as high as possible. Until you get used to it. Ready?"

Naruto picked up his knife, "I'm more than ready, this is gonna be no sweat all the way, believe it! Remember what you said sensei, I'm the one who's grown the most!"

"Well, your definitely the one who talks the most_, Now get focused and do it_!" Kakashi ordered, seemingly getting irritated.

I made a hand sign and focused the chakra into the souls of my feet. Sasuke and Naruto charged at the tree, Naruto made it up two steps then feel down, while Sasuke made it up pretty far. I had yet to move.

_**Third person**_

"Uh, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"Hm?" Said girl replied. Yet not bothering to look at him directly.

"Are you going to move?"

"Oh, shut up, Kakashi, I'm making sure the flow of chakra is steady..." She said, forgetting to show respect for her sensei.

_It's like she's getting ready to walk on water... _Kakashi thought.

Sakura walked over to the tree.

"Uuh..." Kakashi began, remembering he had told them to get a running start. She lifted her foot, and rested it on the tree, she pulled it off, then replaced it. Then started to...walk up the tree?

_**Sakura's **__**P.o.v**_

Well, this was way easier than running. I just rest my foot on the tree, and then take it off to see if there's a magnet effect, where I feel a little resistance when trying to pull it off the tree, then, just walk up. My walk slowly turned into a run as I started to lose my stick. My chakra levels weren't what they were at 20 years of age... I made it up to a branch and sat down.

"Wow, this isn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be...!" I exclaimed. They all looked up.

"Well, looks like the female of the group has the best chakra control...Well done, Sakura..."

"Yeah! Way to go Sakura! I always knew you were awesome, believe it!!" Naruto exclaimed. Although after that he looked down, a mix of anger, irritation, and disappointment played out on his features. Sasuke just muttered a quiet 'Damn it' and turned the other way.

…You know. If it wasn't for the fact I can read lips…I would've missed that comment and wouldn't be pissed off right now…Little Bastard, can't comprehend the fact he just got beat by a girl. Baby…

"Well, you know something, you both suck too…" I mumbled.

"Your knowledge of Chakra was splendid, but your Chakra and stamina are good as well. Maybe Sakura, and not someone else, is the closest to being Hokage right now." Kakashi stated.

"The Uchiha clan is not as great as I thought either."

"Well, that wasn't nice…" I said quietly.

"Naruto proclaimed he was going to beat Sasuke and all that Crap.

* * *

Naruto fell again for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, you know, I'll just be sitting here, waiting for you to come crawling to me for help…" I mumbled, quiet enough so they wouldn't hear.

"Damn it!" He cursed. I sighed in annoyance.

"Hey, Uuh…" I looked up to see Naruto. "Could you give me some tips?" He asked.

"Oh, uh, sure! Why not?" I replied. "Great, but don't tell Sasuke, ne, ne?"

"Hum…Okay then, sure?" I replied, unsure of my answer. Nevertheless, I smiled and gladly gave him tips. After al, he was getting no where so far.

* * *

I was watching the bridge builder work on his bridge. I stifled a yawn, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"You seem bored, all by yourself." He stated. "Where are that blonde kid and the other one?"

…Hah…the other one...

"Their climbing trees…" I stated, and didn't notice until after I said it how lame it sounded.

"And you don't have to?" He inquired.

"I already finished it, so they sent me here to look after you."

"Really?" He said in disbelief.

I pouted, but other than that kept quiet. Pouting was an old habit of mine whenever I was unhappy or irritated.

Tazuna was talking to one of the workers who was saying they wanted to quit building the bridge. The worker, Giichi, was let go, considering he wanted to stop working in the first place. And Tazuna suggested the stopped working for the day. He walked away, and I quickly followed.

* * *

We were walking around town, ad I could see many filthy, most likely homeless, boys alongside the road. I frowned slightly at this.

We walked into a store, and felt a hand on my bag.

"Damn thief…" I thought. I turned around grabbed the guys arm and twisted it behind his back. With my free hand I elbowed him in the neck, rendering him uncouncious.

* * *

_Oh, ya, dinner time. A time when you can just sit down with the family and—O God I think I might die. How can they eat that much I mean seriously, their just __scarfing__ that stuff down like there's no tomorrow…_

Naruto and Sasuke both finished their food, stood up, asked for more, and then glared at each other. All the while, their mouths still stuffed with food. Simultaneously, the both leaned over and threw up everything they had just eaten. I rested my forehead on palm.

"O Dear Lord…" I muttered. "If you're gonna' barf it all back up, why bother eating it in the first place? I swear to God, man, you two are idiots…" However my lecture went unnoticed.

* * *

(I realize I skipped the rest of dinner)

_Where are you Naruto…? _I thought, drumming my fingers impatiently on the kitchen table. It was already late at night and he wasn't here. He was still out training.

"Shouldn't you be getting to bed?" I heard a voice ask. I turned around to see none other than Kakashi.

"No…When Naruto gets back then I'll go to bed."

"That might not be till later…" He began, but I cut him off.

"Then I'll wait 'till later'…" I stated, irritated.

"Sakura, you need to get to bed." Kakashi said. I lifted myself out of my chair and made my way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To find him…" I said.

I was hoping to find him so I could get him back safely. I couldn't remember exactly when we left and met up with Haku. But he needed to be here when we did. That way maybe we could form a plan to get Sasuke out of there before he…dies.

I know he doesn't die permanently, but who knows how much I screwed up the past already. Maybe in some bizarre way, maybe it affected something that really had nothing to do with me. I really don't know. But I need to be prepared.

…He can't die…he just can't. I won't let him. I don't care what it takes, he's not gonna die, he's not gonna leave, life's. Gonna. Be. Grand, Damn it! I don't care if I have to kill him, bring him back from Hell, and then threaten to kill him again!

We.

Will.

Be.

Happy.

...I hope…

Well...I'm not giving up till I find Naruto...Damn it, this could take a while...

**Okay, I have some questions...**

**1) Should Sasuke end up leaving, or should Sakura convince him to stay?**

**2)If**** you want her to convince him to stay, should she talk him in to it the first time, you know when he knocks her out at the bench? Or should she go after him along with Naruto and the others?**

**3)If**** she doesn't convince him to stay, that would probably be the end of my fan fiction, so if she doesn't convince him, should I make a sequel type thing along the lines of ****shippuden**** or not? **

**4) If I make a sequel, should I follow along the story line of ****shippuden****, or should I make up my own thing?**

**Well, that's all! If you could, private message me your answers, otherwise, people could just look in the reviews and figure out what I'm gonna do...so...yeah. You don't have to but if you could, I would prefer that.**

**Well, there it is! Sooo...Like it? Not? Hate it? Loathe it? Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again! Someone mentioned that Naruto seemed OOC. That he seemed more annoying as usual. Well...I don't exactly know how to fix that. I follow along fairly closely to the lines of the series. He may just seem more annoying because he becomes less annoying throughout the series (thank God for character progression). I apologize if you don't like the fact he is so annoying, however, I don't want to make him too OOC. If he's a little bit OOC, so be it. Again, I apologize, and I hope you will bear with me throughout the whole "unbelievably annoying faze' Naruto goes through.**

**Thank you if you read all that! . Well...On with the story!**

I reluctantly opened my eyes. I was welcomed by the unwanted sunlight pouring through my window. I didn't want to get up. Hell I didn't even know...where...

_The Hell...? _I thought as I sat up in...Bed?

_**Flashback**_

_Damn it! He isn't anywhere to be found! I sighed irritably. This was getting so unbelievable troublesome..._

_I was tired, hungry, and cold, only wearing the black tube top I usually wear under my red top, and a pair of black shorts, I didn't even have any shoes on! Damn it! Worst. Decision. Ever._

_Why couldn't I find him? He wasn't _anywhere_ to be found?! How big is this friggin' forest anyway?! Damn it all!_

_I rested against a tree. The sun had long since gone down, meaning; obviously, it had only gotten colder since I first left. My eyelids started to feel heavy. I forced my self up. Searched for about another...what? five minutes? Finding nothing but some birds, trees (no duh) and other various random shit I don't care about. I rested again._

_**End flashback**_

"I must've fallen asleep after I stopped to rest..." I murmured. "Damn it..." I forced myself out of bed, only receiving a shot of pain through my back. I groaned.

"That's what I get for falling asleep in the _fucking _forest..." I mumbled. When I tried to move, the pain shot through my back, yet again, and I let out another stream of curses.

"Such colorful Language you got there..." I heard someone say. I looked up. Tazuna was standing in the doorway.

"Yeah..." I mumbled quietly. "How did I..." Of course I didn't need to finish the question, he answered it anyway.

"The one with the attitude brought you back. Course, his Sensei told 'im to. Eh, details!" he exclaimed, smiling and rubbing the back of his head.

"Thank you..." I mumbled. He turned to leave. "Oh! Before you leave..." I began. He turned around to face me. "Give Uchi--err...Sasuke, my thanks."

"Shouldn't you do that?" He inquired, testily. I sighed. "Don't worry, I'll thank him." He stated. I smiled and nodded my head in silent thanks. My hair, recently having changed the parting the left side of my head, fell slightly in front of my right eye. He left and closed the door behind him. I lifted my hand and rested it on my torso. A green glow emitted from my hand.

I was slightly healed, my chakra not being what it used to be, didn't help too much. I sighed and stood up. At least I could move now.

_Why did Sasuke bring me back...? _I thought. _Of course, Tazuna said Kakashi told him to find me...Dear God, I hope he didn't have to search too long for me._

I started to walk out of my room, after I had gotten dressed. My regular outfit wasn't to be found, so I was dressed in something different. I had a black spaghetti strap top, along with a blue Kunochi skirt, which went a little past mid-thigh. One of the straps on my tank top falls off of my right shoulder, and me, being to lazy to deal with it, let it stay like that. I had black skin tight shorts on that went to about mid-thigh. I had on blue ninja sandals, the cloth went up just past my knee, And long black fingerless gloves that went about three inches past my elbow. Silver netting covered my arms and legs, before the boots of the legs, but over the shorts. Also, the fishnet went over the gloves on my arms. Over all I kind of liked my new outfit.

Once again, while walking down the hall, I became lost in my thoughts. _Man, If I were him and had to search the whole village and forest for me...well, to be blunt I'd be totally pissed. Better to not bother him today...Damn. Annoying Sasuke is the highlight of my day. Guess today's gonna be boring...Well then again Sasuke's a lot more...well...'I don't care about you. If you all died I would throw a party if it wasn't for the fact that it would be un-cool' kind of attitude. While I'm more like 'I'm nice and all but piss me off and I'll see you in hell buddy. And you better expect no one will come to your funeral because their all gonna die too.' kind of attitude. I wonder if Sasuke's any different when he comes back to Konoha (for the short two seconds he was here)._

_Let's see..._

_Old Sasuke:_

_Semi-cared about us_

_Seemed human enough_

_Ice cube_

_Meanie (at times)_

_Gotta admit he is hot_

_New Sasuke:_

_If we died he would come to our funeral solely to watch us be buried. Then he _would_ dance on our graves if it wasn't for the fact it would be un-Sasuke-ish_

_Human? Pshaah. Yeah right, he's about as human as a vulture_

_Ice cube_

_Meanie (correction; bastard)_

_Yeah, he's still hot_

_...I think I prefer Old Sasuke...I'd kind of like people not to feel the urge to dance on my grave, you know? I mean--_

_Okay who the Hell'd I just collide with?!_

I groaned as I rubbed my head. I opened my eyes to see none other than Sasuke himself! Yay (note the sarcasm)!

_Tch. You totally adore him..._

A voice in the back of my mind added. (A/N- no it's not an inner! You know that voice in your head that tells you your wrong whenever you lie? Well, yeah, that's what this is.)

I snapped out of my, 'trance' if you will, long enough to see Sasuke walking away.

"Sasuke!" I call after him. He stops but doesn't turn around. _Bastard..._

"Listen, I'm really sorry! I didn't want to make you do all that for me. I mean," I stopped talking to notice the confused look on his face. More like bored/confused/angry/whatever-else-there-is look on his face. Ugh, whatever.

"I, mean..." I repeat. "You know, for looking for me and bringing me back here..." I pointed out. He made a grunting noise, the oh so famous line of 'Hn.' before turning and leaving.

What.

The.

_Hell._

"I just apologized to you and you ignore me?!" I yell. Knowing I was most likely speaking out of term, I mean, he has a right to be angry. But, man was I pissed. He turned around, a frown etched onto his Features. He was _glaring _at me! You would think he would at least be a little nicer than _that_!

"Oh, okay, and now you're glaring at me? God! I'm just trying to apologize, and this is what I get? Good God, man, what kind of world is this when I get punished for doing the right thing!" I glared a glare that almost matched his glare. _Almost..._When I concluded I wasn't going to get a response. I turned on my heal and walked down the hall, muttering a string of curses. I stopped turned around, to realize he was _still _glaring at me.

"_Screw _you, Uchiha." I hissed. That was about the time his normal 'I hate you' glare revolutionized into his 'I'm gonna make sure you die by my hands, you worthless piece of crap' glare. Once again, I turned and walked away.

_Bastard! _I though angrily. _The nerve! He thinks I'm going to let myself be treated like this?! Well, little Emo needs to get an attitude adjustment because I don't bend that way! _

I let out another string of curses before reaching the Kitchen and slamming the door behind me. I stormed out of the Front door. I ran into the forest. First I love him, then he leaves, he broke my heart. I left it bleeding in his hands and he crushed it! Now, I get a second chance, and I can't handle it!! To see him is to remember all the pain he brought me. I was near the middle of the forest. I dropped to my knees, threw back my head, and screamed.

...God it feels good to do that again...

The scream slowly broke into sobs, and as much as i hate to admit it, considering ninja's aren't suppost to show emotions...

...I cried...

_**Sasuke's P.o.v**_

Who the Hell does she think she is?

_"Screw you, Uchiha" _she said.

I glared harder. What was wrong with her? 'Screw you?' What the Hell? Uchiha, she called me Uchiha?

She was a fan girl just months ago...right?

She fled down the hallway. I began to follow her, but sopped...What was I doing? I was about to follow her? I whirled around and punched the nearest thing to me, which just so happened to be the wall. I could feel the wall cave in to the pressure of my fist colliding with its surface. I pulled it out. My knuckles were bloody and bruised. They ached, that was for sure. I put my uninjured hand to my forehead.

_What is this girl doing to me...?_

_**Sakura's P.o.v**_

We were all sitting at the kitchen table, eating our breakfast. Tsunami came flying through the doors, her face twisted into a look of anger.

"Who punched a hole in my wall?!" She demanded. Naruto wasn't even here, Kakashi wouldn't have done _that _I'm sure. I know I didn't do it, so that leaves...

...Oh damn it Sasuke...

"I did it..." I confessed. She was about to yell until I made an excuse. "I know there's no excuse for that, but I was...frustrated and I just punched the closest thing to me, and...I...I'll just fix that wall now..." I said. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable under Tsunami's glare, and Sasuke's bewildered look. I quickly pushed in my chair and walked out of the kitchen.

I found the hole...man; his fist must hurt a lot. I was expecting some kind of dent or something, not a hole almost twice the size of my hand. I shook my head, he really needs to learn how to control his anger.

I didn't really know how to fix a wall...Maybe I could...No...Why did I take the blame for this again?

...Whatever...

_Maybe a healing jutsu would work... _I thought. I found the part of the hole that he knocked in, in the wall. I brought it up to the place it's suppose to be, holding it in place. I brought up my other hand as a green glow emitted from it. I rested it against the wall.

...Well, looks like it worked! I smiled at my work. Who would've known healing jutsu's can heal walls!

_Can't they heal anyone and anything...? _a thought emerged from the back of my mind...Oh...Well, take away my pride. I frowned, but quickly got over my self pity. I stood up and turned around to go back to the kitchen, and guess who was behind me...

...Sasuke...

I looked down at his hands; sadly they were in his pockets.

"Let me see your hands..." I ordered looking him in the eye, he simply quirked an eyebrow. I sighed.

"C'mon, just hold out your hands like this..." I ordered putting out my hands palm facing down. This way I could see his knuckles.

"Why...?" He asked.

...Oh you have got to be kidding me...

I raised my eyebrows. "You're kidding right...?" I asked. Once again he quirked an eyebrow, and once again I sighed.

"I know you're the one, who punched a hole in the wall, now show me your hand."

If you already know it's me, why do you have to see my hands?" He inquired.

...Damn him and his logic...

"You punched a hole in the wall that would hurt. You need your hand to be treated." I said simply. I glared at me for a little bit, then turned and said.

"I don't need your help..." I scowled and grabbed his upper arm.

"Yeah, you do. /show me your hand." I ordered. But he simply objected.

"Damn it, Sasuke! This is my way of repaying you for taking me back here."

"You can repay me by leaving me _alone_..." He hissed.

"I. Can't. Do. That." I growled between gritted teeth.

"...And why not?"

"Because I don't want a teammate to be injured if we are in a battle, so give me you freaking hand and let me heal it! Damn it! Now!" I screeched, tugging his hand out of his pocket. I could see he had bandaged them himself. He seemed a little surprised by my outburst...

...either that or he was just to lazy to pull his hand back...

I sat down cross-legged...he didn't budge. I tugged on his arm. "Sit!" I ordered. He grunted, but followed my orders. My hand started to glow a green color as I placed it on his. When I was finished I removed the bandage.

"There, see? Good as new! Was that really so hard?" I asked him. He was flexing his hand.

"How did you..." he began.

"I'm just cool like that." I interrupted. He scowled. I smirked.

We were all back at the breakfast table.

"Naruto didn't come back last night..." Tazuna stated.

"Yeah, well, he's so hard headed he probably won't come back until he climbs a tree..." I stated.

"And yet you went after him anyway...?" Sasuke asked. I growled.

"Shut up Sasuke! _Anyway_, he might even be dead by now."

"Is Naruto-kun fine? A child staying out all night by himself..." Tsunami said.

"There's no need to worry. He is a decent ninja even if he doesn't look like one."

"I don't know about that. Maybe the idiot really is dead." He said as he left the table. "I'm going for a walk."

I raised an eyebrow. "But what about breakfast..." I looked towards his plate. "Good God..."

"Naruto!" I called out. No one answered. Kakashi and I were both looking for Naurto and Sasuke. I looked up in a tree, knowing he was there, but didn't say anything. As predicted, a kunai flew from the tree at our feet, revealing Naruto at the top.

"How do you like that? I can climb this high now!" He exclaimed. I smiled. He kumped to his feet, and instantly lost his balance.

"This isn't good..." Kakashi stated.

"No shit..." I mumbled. I choked back a scream...

He caught himself on the bottom of the branch.

"Not." He said. I twitched. "You fell for it!"

"Naruto, you little bastard! You better make sure you don't fall because when I get my hands on you I'll..." I trailed off when he actually started to fall. I rushed up there and caught him by his ankle.

"Naruto, you idiot!" I yelled, and soon realized...he was really heavy. "Naruto..." I grunted. I lost my footing and fell off the branch.

"Damn it..." I mumbled, getting ready to flip in the air to land on my feet. I felt an arm slip around my waist. I let out a small 'eep' of surprise when whoever it was stopped me from falling. I saw Sasuke.

"Damn it Sasuke..." I murmured.

"Idiots..." He said simply.

"Oh please, I'm an idiot! I didn't need your help!" I yelled. He lifted me up onto the branch. I almost blushed when his face was so close to mine

"Then call it payback when I didn't need _your_ help..." He hissed. I conjured up the best glare I could as he helped Naruto.

"Damn pansy..." I mumbled.

Later during dinner, Sasuke and Naruto were both gone. However, much to my displeasure (I was beginning to like the silence) Sasuke and Naruto both came in, with Sasuke basically carrying Naruto. Although I'm sure he was using him for support too. Naruto's hand was over Sasuke's shoulder to help him stay up.

"What's with you two, you look tired and dirty." Tazuna asked.

"We both climbed to the top..." Naruto stated.

Okay," Kakashi began. "Naruto, Sasuke...you guard Tazuna-san next time as well."

Of course, Naruto was overjoyed at this statement and jumped for joy...knocking both of them over.

"You idiot..." Sasuke growled. Everyone laughed.

It was the next day, and, regardless to my please to make him come anyway, Naruto was to sleep in. We were on our way to the bridge. However, when we got there, everyone was injured. No one was working, no one was uninjured.

"What's wrong?! What happened?!" Tazuna demanded. Mist surrounded us. It could only mean one thing...

...Zabuza's back...

**Well! That's the end of that chapter. Sorry it's taking me so long to update. With school, homework, and the days I just don't feel like updating, it's kind of hard. Well, I'll try to update more frequently! Thank you for everyone that is reviewing, and for the people who favorite my story! It makes me feel really happy to know people like my story! So thanks, the fight with Zabuza will be in the next chapter. Tell me what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so, this is the next chapter. Sorry about the cliff hanger. I had someone all peeved at me, sooo...yeah. Sorry! I hope you like this chapter. Thank you so much to all of you for being so nice. You've all seemed to like the story, which makes me immensely happy. Even when you see something wrong with the story, instead of simply flaming me, you tell me about it and advise me to change it. **

**So, I just wanted to thank all of you who are reviewing, favoriteing, and alerting my story. You make it a lot more fun to write, knowing I'm not going to get a flame for every chapter. While personally I don't mind flames, it's nice to have no flames! Again thank you and I hope you like this chapter!**

_**Recap**_

_"What's wrong?! What happened?!" Tazuna demanded. Mist surrounded us. It could only mean one thing..._

_...Zabuza's back..._

_**End recap**_

Kakashi had all of us guard Tazuna, each of us getting ready for battle. After an eerie silence, we heard a voice floating along the wind.

"Sorry for the wait, Kakashi..." It began, no doubt, being Zabuza's voice. "Your still with those brats..." I clutched my kunai, ready for attack.

After all, like the last life, I'm probably going to do absolutely nothing except for guarding Tazuna.

"He's shaking again, Poor kid." The voice faked sympathy. Before we knew it we were surrounded by water clones. Surprisingly, weather he was feeling confident, or just plain high on something, Sasuke smirked.

"I'm shaking from excitement..." He said.

"Do it, Sasuke." Kakashi commanded. As Zabuza lunged at Sasuke, he cut right through him, every one of 'him'. The voice came back.

"Oh? He saw through my water clones." It said. "That brat has grown." He appointed, as he appeared with the tracker ninja, Haku.

"It looks like a rival has appeared, eh, Haku?" Zabuza said.

"It does indeed." He replied. Both their voices threatened to send chills down my spine. Zabuza's voice reminded me of both of their deaths. While Haku's voice reminded me of Sasuke's death, regardless of how soothing it would appear otherwise.

"Oh my. It looks like my thinking was right on the Mark." Kakashi stated. "Thinking?" Zabuza echoed.

"The masked one..." He clarified. "As we thought..." Sasuke mumbled soon after.

"So," Tazuna began. "Being a hidden Mist hunter-nin was a super complete lie?"

"He's obviously Zabuza's comrade, standing right nest to him and all." Kakashi stated.

There was a stretched out silence. Until Sasuke broke it.

"I'll fight him." He stated.

Oh. Hell.

"Bu--" I began, but was cut off.

"Tricking us with that act..." Sasuke began. "I hate bastards like that the most."

"Sasuke..." I murmured. I wanted to object I wanted to say that he couldn't do that, that he was going to die...but wasn't that an insult. saying he wasn't strong enough. Especially when he revolved his whole world around becoming stronger, ever since he was a little kid. Even if I were to word it differently, say that I needed help...would he listen? He wouldn't. He never did, he never will, he sounds so determined, what the Hell am I supposed to say?!

"An impressive young man..." Haku said, interrupting my thoughts. "Even though the water clones only have one tenth the strength of the original, to be able to do that..." Zabuza mumbled something I was unable to hear.

Haku started to spin around, causing the wind to cycle the mist. It looked like a tornado, and felt like one too, considering the wind was picking up the closer he got. Sasuke readied his stance.

Sasuke was holding back Haku's senbon needle with his kunai.

"Sakura, step in front of Tazuna-san and don't leave my side!" Kakashi ordered. reluctantly, I obliged. "We'll let Sasuke handle him!" he said. Haku took a few blind strikes at Sasuke, with him blocking everyone. They had an exchangement of words that I couldn't hear. Haku held up one hand.

_His Justus..._ I thought.

"Secret jutsu: Flying water needles." I heard him say, before he stomped on the ground, causing the mist to fly up around them, and turn into needles. all aimed for him.

They flew in towards him, and just as Haku jumped away, they hit their target, or so it seemed. Sasuke was above all of us, in the air. Without a scratch on him. He appeared behind Haku.

"Your pretty slow." Sasuke began. "From now on, you'll only be able to run from my attacks."

They both spun around, Sasuke taking a swipe at Haku, of which he blocked. He flicked a kunai from his hand, which Haku had to duck down to dodge. Then, as Haku was crouched on the ground, Sasuke swung his leg, giving Haku a round-house kick to the jaw. Causing him to fly back.

"Looks like I have the advantage in speed." Sasuke stated, obviously starting to become more cocky.

"I can't have you underestimating my team and calling them 'Brats." Kakashi said. "Sasuke is the leaf village's numer one rookie. Sakura is the brightest in the village."

_Not if I'm dull enough to fall all over Sasuke, he said this in the last life too, right? Gad, he's an idiot... _I thought.

"...and the other one is..." he began. "The show-off, hyperactive, number one loudest ninja in the village, Naruto."

Zabuza started to chuckle. "Haku, do you realize? At this rate we will be driven back." Haku agreed, adn a strange aura started to come about him.

"Sorry." he apologized, and held up a hand sign. My eyes widened.

"Sasuke, get out of there!" I exclaimed, but my warning went unnoticed. I started to run to him, but stopped. It was my duty, my mission to guard Tazuna. And as willing as I was to leave for thirty seconds to get Sasuke out of there, I couldn't move. If Tazuna died...it would be my fault.

My eyes widened even more as I saw the mirrors form. As Haku stepped in the mirror, only one thought went through my head...

_...Sasuke's going to die..._

I choked back a scream as all the memories from that moment came rushing back. I couldn't let this happen. I told myself I wouldn't let this happen, and yet now, look at this. I don't know how many times I told myself I was not going to relive that, thatin this life, he might die...

How fucking pathetic am I?

Kakashi started to run towards him, but Zabuza appeared in front of him. "Your opponent..." He began. "...is me."

"Against that jutsu he is finished."

I stared wide-eyed at Kakashi, silently pleading him to let me help Sasuke, although he couldn't see me. He was facing Zabuza, but I heard him talk over his shoulder.

"Sakura, I need you to protect Tazuna at all costs!" I swallowed hard.

"But Kakashi...!"

"No buts!" he interrupted, turning to face me as Zabuza was a little ways away. "I need you to protect him with all your life Sakura."

"I need to--"

"You don't need to do anything, but what I tell you to do." He said. I stared, horrified, but desperately trying not to show it.

"Y...yes..." I said, my bangs hiding my eyes.

--

For who knows how long, I stood there, protecting Tazuna. Doing my job. Sasuke's screams wre driving me insane! I felt a hand on my shoulder, and in a whisper, Tazuna started to talk.

"You don't really want to guard me. Do you?" he asked. I was quiet.

"Well...?" he urged. I nodded solemnly. "No," I looked towards the ice mirrors.

He chuckled bitterly. "You want to help you friend...?" It was more of a statement than a question, but I nodded nevertheless. He sighed.

"I don't want to make you protect me, it's my fault your friends in danger over there..." he began. I understood what he meant, and bit my lower lip.

"I can't..." I said quietly. "Kakashi told me to..." I trailed off.

"And I'm telling you otherwise."

"Kakashi's me sensei, not you..." I said coldly.

"Aren't you on this mission to help me?" he asked.

"Yes, and it wouldn't be very helpful if I left you to die." I snapped.

"It also wouldn't be very helpful to me if I knew your friend over there died because of me." He said.

I was quiet. I wanted so badly to help Sasuke. However, if Tazuna died, it would all be on my shoulders. On Konoha's Shoulders. It would be my fault he died, and that mistake would reflect on Konoha's status. If I didn't, Sasuke might be gone, forever.

...And I couldn't live with that...

I stepped away and did a few hand signs, then slammed my hands on the ground. A purplish glow emitted from the ground, surrounding Tazuna in somewhat a bubble shape. Before seemingly disappearing. He stared at me questionably. I smiled.

"Thank you..." I said, before running off to the ice mirrors.

_**Kakashi's P.o.v**_

In my fight with Tazuna, I caught a flash of pink in the distance. I glanced over to see a pink haired figure in a blue clad outfit, running to the tracker-nin's jutsu, Haku was his name, I believe. My eyes widened as I looked over at Tazuna, no Sakura in sight.

...That was a mistake...

Zabuza caught sight at what I was looking at, and saw no Sakura. Under his bandaged jaw, I swear I saw him smirk. He dashed off to Tazuna, I tried to stop him, but wasn't fast enough. He swung his sword.

In a flash of neon purple, seemingly from nowhere, about a foot away from Tazuna-san's abdomen, Zabuza's sword was knocked from his hands. He quickly jumped back to get it. I stared at Tazuna; there was nothing, and no one, there. Which means it was a jutsu, but Tazuna isn't a ninja. Sakura's name came to my head, but I pushed the thought away. This was a Junín level technique, used by a genin? No, it couldn't be.

...At least she didn't flat out leave him, she took precautions, but If Zabuza knows anything about this technique...he would know it has a time limit.

_**Sakura's P.o.v**_

I reached the ice mirrors. I needed to think of a plan.

_If I can get one side of the mirror, Sasuke can hit the other, and maybe it would break. _I thought, as I called Sasuke's name. He glanced at me, and I think he knew my plan.

I took out three kunai, throwing them at the mirror as Sasuke rammed into it. Nothing really, probably not enough force on my side. I gathered chakra around my fist, and punched it, as he punched it as well. I jumped back and smirked. We hadn't broken it, but we had, at least, severly cracked it. I aimed for it again, but Haku's hand shot out, catching my fist. My eye's widened.

"I don't think so..." I heard him say. He pulled me through the mirror. What I thought would be the weirdest feeling in the world, being in a mirror, felt no different. Most likely, because, no sooner was I in the mirror, was I out, and in the ice mirror jutsu.

I felt like a caged bird, and trust me, it sucked so bad to have that feeling.

I growled under my breath, and saw a hand in front of me. I looked up to see Sasuke offering to help me up. I took his hand as he lifted me to my feet. Then he turned to one of the mirrors, and glared.

It took me a moment to realize how beat up he really looked. HIs shirt was ripped, and he had various wounds on his body, from Haku, no doubt. I looked towards Haku, or at least, _one _of the Hakus. I couldn't believe I let this happen! How the Hell'd he catch me? Am I _that_ slow? Now there's no chance of getting back to Tazuna in time and if that Jutsu wears off...

Well, let's be sure there'll be Hell to pay.

My thoughts were interrupted by Haku's voice.

"How sweet..." he cooed in a monotone voice. "...young love...it pains me to do this, it really does..." He said as he lifted his arm. I gritted my teeth. It couldn't be all that bad right. Maybe, Sasuke's screaming was just an overreaction.

...but I knew I was lying. Sasuke doesn't overreact. He hardly ever _reacts _at all...This is gonna be Hell.

Before I knew it, senbon needles were flying everywhere. My eyes widened as I tried desperately to dodge them, but, as soon as one hit me, they came one after another. I couldn't move. It hurt so much; if I tried I was afraid it would hurt more. None of them were imbedding themselves in me, only gliding across my skin and leaving several scratches and wounds.

I felt _helpless._ I felt like I was going to die. Hell, I felt like I _wanted_ to die! The constant pain of needles flying by me was...unnerving. Sometimes a needle would cut the same place it had gotten earlier, deepening the wound, along with the pain.

Finally, it stopped. Sasuke and I were breathing heavily. My throat hurt, and I realized I had been screaming the whole time. I clutched my neck as I coughed a little. Most likely from lack of air adn the itching feeling in the back of my throat.

It was much worse than I thought it would be...

_**Sasuke's P.o.v**_

It was the weirdest feeling in the world. I could feel the pain, I could feel the stinging of my open wounds, but I felt..._scarred._ As the needles were coming I braced myself for the pain. I felt weak. I felt helpless, _hopeless, _but the strangest thing was, the pain, the fear, it wasn't even the worst of it.

I thought It would be. I thought that would be the reason I'm feeling so angry, and, although it pains me to admit it, scarred. When we were being bombarded with Haku's needles, the first thought was all about the pain. Then she started to scream...

It was the most blood curdling, unnerving, thing I had heard in who knows how long. I didn't even know why! It chilled my blood; it made me feel angry, it made me feel weak, like I couldn't manage to protect her. I mean, she's my teammate, a comrade, I have to protect those close--My teammates, my comrades, nothing more--to me, who were weaker than me, safe, right?

When the torture had stopped, I snapped out of my thoughts. I found it strange, the whole time that was happening...

...she was all I was thinking about...

__

_**Sakura P.o.v**_

I looked up at Haku. Oh, how infuriated I was. I wanted him to die. As fowl as I felt for wishing death on someone, he was my opponent, and he was trying to kill me. I couldn't help it! I wanted this to stop!

A shiruken flew by and hit Haku, causing him to fall out of the mirror, outside of the 'cage'. I saw smoke.

_Idiotic show-off... _I thought with distaste. I heard a voice.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he began "Has finally arrived."

I heard Kakashi scolding Naruto, and Naruto yelling something. I couldn't make out what was being said though. I suppose I was too distracted by the pain in my body. I was about to heal myself when I saw Sasuke, I sighed. He was worse off than me.

"Sasuke..." I whispered. he looked over at me. I motioned him over. "Come over here." I commanded. He gave me a confused look, but didn't move. I rolled my eyes and crawled over to him. I picked up his arm, causing him to wince a little.

"Sorry..." I apologized. He didn't respond, I sighed, yet again. I laid my hand over his arm and started to heal the cuts. I sighed.

"I'm sorry..." He looked at me confused.

"...For what..."

"For messing up. Now I'm stuck in here with you. I didn't help at all. I'm sorry." I replied. He looked at me for a long time. I held his gaze for a while, but eventually, I became uncomfortable and began to heal him again, but he jerked away.

"I don't need your help. I never did. You should've kept protecting the bridge builder..." He said quietly as he stood up. I felt the anger boil up inside of me, but held it down, so I could focus on healing myself.

"...As usual. You're too soft..." I heard the voice of Zabuza say.

"Forgive me..." Haku replied. I realized why Zabuza had said 'soft,' Haku had hurt me, but he hadn't hit any sever points of my body.

As Naruto and Haku had their conversation, Sasuke attempted to catch Haku off guard. He chucked his kunai at Haku, but, with a swift movement of his head, it missed.

"Sasuke..." I heard Naruto mutter. Most likely just realizing Sasuke was in here.

"I haven't forgotten about you...not for an instant." Haku said. "Some warriors accept defeat gracefully. They know when they are beaten. Others do not. So be it. Let us finish our battle then, to the death."

Haku stepped into the mirror, after clarifying with Naruto, he would fight him next. I braced myself for the worst. More needles rained down. Again I screamed. I heard Naruto scream Sasuke's name, then scream mine, surprise evident in his voice once mine was exclaimed.

"Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, think! you have to attack from the inside and from the outside at the same time. Like Sakura and Sasuke tried before, but don't let him catch you!" Kakashi helped.

Sasuke seemed to be in deep thought. Until Naruto popped up in his face.

"Hey! I snuck in here to save you!" He whispered. Sasuke looked completely dumb-struck. "Pretty cool move, huh Sasuke?" For a while Sasuke just stared. Then he finally exploded.

"...You are a complete and total loser! You're a shinobi! Think carefully before you move!" He screamed.

"What the Hell's your problem? You should thank me for coming in here to help you!" Naruto replied.

"Naruto, if we're both inside here..." he growled with frustration. "Forget it! I've had it with your mistakes!"

"And I've had it had it with you attitude, bastard!" Naruto screeched. Sasuke stood up.

"That's it. I'm gonna' destroy these mirrors right now!" He said, beginning to do a series of hand signs. "Fire style:"

"Hey!" Naruto began. "What jutsu are you using?!"

"These mirrors are made of ice, and what destroys ice...? Figure it out!" He said. "Fireball jutsu!" he said, as an eruption of fire came from his mouth. The fire covered the mirrors, but they didn't melt.

"That didn't do anything at all!" Naruto bellowed.

"Aw, damn it! I knew it wouldn't work!" I yelled. Sasuke whirled around to face me. "Then why didn't you say anything?!"

"Like you would listen to me!" I shot back at him. Again, he growled.

"Never mind!" He exclaimed. "I'll figure out something, you haven't done anything so far, I'm the only hope here!" He glared at Naruto.

"Yeah, and the flames around us are a big help!" I retorted. He glared at me. The flames finally died down.

"Not even fire can melt this ice..." Haku said. Not to long after, a force, unseen to us, sent all three of us flying.

_We're not gonna win this fight... _I couldn't help thinking.

--

We were tired, hurt, and I had no time to heal myself, let alone others! We were beat up and looked as if we could be dead. Haku had clarified this was no jutsu...it was a bloodline limit.

Why does God have to hate us so much?! What did we do?! Sure, Sasuke betrays all those he cares about and becomes a heartless assassin, Wee all become ninja and take the lives of others, But non of that has happened yet! Besides, other than that, we're perfect! We could all be saints if it wasn't for the fact we kill people on a regular basis, haven't preformed any sort of miracle, we don't exactly preech any sort of religion...

...well maybe not...But c'mon! We can't deserve this, do we?!

Naruto was out, while Sasuke was the star of the fight. He was tracking every movement of Haku's. I have been training for over ten years, and _I _can't even do that!

I heard an exchangement of words between Sasuke and Haku. I felt weak, more so than earlier. Sasuke was her fighting protecting us. I was here doing nothing, but honestly! What was I suppose to do! Try to 

help Sasuke, I tried that once and all he did was jerk away and imply that I was too far beneath him to help out.

"Naruto get up! I can't keep helping you like this!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Well then don't..." Naruto began "I never asked for your help..." He fell back. sasuke glanced at me.

"Sakura! Heal him, do something other than just standing there!" He ordered.

_Oh, now he needs my help... _I thought. However, started to run towards Naruto. I heard the whizzing sound of senbon needles, and quickly did a back bend to dodge the needles, which were so clearly headed for my neck. I kicked over and got back into a standing position. Hearing Haku order me not to move.

"You can't revive him..." Haku started. "He's reached his limits."

Sasuke growled as Haku started to chuckle. Sasuke chucked a kunai at Haku, but, obviously, it did nothing.

"Your moves are very skillful..." Haku complimented, as he threw five senbon at Sasuke. Him dodging them. "...but it looks like you've reached your limit as well." He appeared in the mirror in front of Sasuke.

"Motor functions..." he appeared in another mirror. "Reflexes..." he appeared in yet another. "judgment..." Haku kept appearing in all different mirrors, but he kept on talking.

"Your abilities are weakening slowly but surely. Now your finished!" He said. What was really a few seconds…? Felt like a year Until Haku finally made his move. He aimed for Naruto's body, but Sasuke picked him up and moved him to another location.

Sasuke looked up, revealing the Sharingan eye. I smirked.

_Well, maybe he isn't all that bad... _I thought. remembering my little hissy fit in my mind about how much I hated the fact Sasuke thought he was better than us. I mean, he really is the only one doing anything.

Haku disappeared in a second, as I desperately tried to locate where he was. I saw Sasuke running toward Naruto. My eyes widened, and I choked back a scream. I started to run toward him, but Haku stopped me. Throwing three senbon into the ground at my feet. I reluctantly stopped.

..What the Hell was I supposed to do anyway...?

I hadn't done anything this whole battle! Sasuke was standing here, senbon needles through his body, now limp in Naruto's arms. Saying words I could not hear. He was dying, in front of me, and what had I done? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I was supposed to be the strong one. I'm from another life! I have seen more in a day than they've seen in their lifetime! I felt weak, I felt foolish, I felt _stupid._

I glared full-heartedly at Haku. Feeling the heat rise up within me. The all too familiar feeling of uncontrol wash over me. When I had thought I had out grown my inner, the real thought was I had pushed it to the back of my mind. The thing is as I got older, my inner got worse.

_flashback_

_I was standing there, blood was all around me, limp bodies lied in heaps around me. Not even a minute ago, had there been a war, right? There was something wrong, very wrong. The last thing she remembers is the death of a comrade, the anger..._

_I saw fire. Yes, there was a fire, off in the distance. I could see the smoke, and it was close enough so I could see a small spark of a flame. I ran towards the source. When I got there, I got nothing but stares of horror. I looked at them questionably, while they tried to edge away from me._

_"S-Sakura...it is you, right?" A comrade asked. I furrowed my eyebrows. _

_"Well, of course, why wouldn't it be...?" I asked. He told me to sit down._

_"Sakura...you totally lost it back there. When he died, you know who, you just kind of lost it. Saying it wasn't fair, that he shouldn't have had to die..." he sighed. "You went berserk. You killed everything in sight if it appeared as a threat to you, even some that weren't..." he paused for a small while. When he finally started to talk again, it was in a whisper._

_"Your eyes were blue, electric blue, and they were outlined in red...Sakura we talked it over, we think we know what happened..." He stated._

_"...What...?" I asked, unsure if I wanted to know._

_"You know that voice...in the back of your head. What you called you 'inner'..." He began. I nodded. "It's no inner Sakura. It's a second being..." I stared at him_

_"You mean like a demon...?" I asked._

_"No..." he said. "I mean like a spirit..." He said. I didn't understand at all what he was saying._

_"A long time ago..." he began. "A baby was found. She had strange eyes. blue and red..." my breath hitched in my throat. "Later her eyes changed. To a green color. They couldn't figure out why, so they searched for who had her originally. They figured out she had a demon like presence within her. However, they weren't sure what it was._

_"Later we found out where she came from. A clan, more like a cult, originally had her. It's some kind of religious practice to have a religious ceremony for the spirits, offering them a human child. They don't kill them, but they let the spirit dwell within the child so that they can have a second chance on earth. So that they can fix whatever they need to on earth."_

_"...But," I mumbled, trying to grasp the concept of this. He was quiet for a long time. He hung his head, his bangs covering his eyes._

_"Sakura...That baby. Was adopted by a family in Konoha, and wasn't told of who she was...It was you..."_

_My eyes widened._

_Flashback over_

My body began to move on it's own. Oblivious to the way Naruto looked at me. I didn't really care. All I knew is Haku needed to die.

I lunged at one of the mirrors, gathering an unordinary amount of chakra in my fist and punched as hard as I could. I needed blood. I needed death. I _needed_ to see him take in his last breath.

I felt my fist go through the mirror. As soon as I pulled it out, the mirror began to repair itself. I needed to get out. I new that. Part of me wanted to get away. Before any bloodshed. Part of me wanted to see him die. Wanted to see him writhe in pain. Wanted to get back at him.

He wouldn't let me out. And the latter part of me was starting to win. I could sense the senbon needles rushing towards me. I grabbed them and enveloped them in my chakra. I through it back. He didn't dodge 

it, probably paying too much attention to Naruto, and it got him in the shoulder. He dropped out of the morror, and tried to pry it out of his shoulder. A gaping wound was pronounced in his shoulder.

I hadn't even use this jutsu yet. Using my chakra, I lunged at him and punched him, rearranging the cells in his skin, causing a wound to form. He threw a senbon at me. I did a few back flips and landed a few feet away. I clutched my head and fell to me knees.

_Blood..._

_It _craved blood. _It _was making me kill. Not me, but the spirit, the inner, was in _me. _It made me carry out _its_ deeds. I gritted my teeth, and stood up. I whirled around, and swung blindly at what I hoped was in front of me. I felt my hand come in contact with the surface of the mirror.

I wanted to get out. I needed to get out, but I couldn't. The mirrors wouldn't brake, and even when they did, they would repair themselves! I could hear the screaming in my head. The screams _it _wanted to hear. Along with the screams it caused to get me to kill, so it could hear them.

I pulled a kunai out of my pouch, and aimed it at Haku, but hesitated. I lowered the kunai slightly. I couldn't kill. I wouldn't kill.

I twirled the kunai in my hand, and stabbed my right thigh. I fell over, gripping the spot I had stabbed, as I felt a split second of saneness. Of course, great things never last long. I did the last thing that came to mind. I screamed.

_**Third person**_

Naruto looked at Sakura worriedly. He had seen her eyes. Blue and red. She looked crazy, Hell, she had just wounded Haku, twice! Without even breaking a sweat. He was already angry. He was far past angry now. This fight...Sasuke was dead because of it, and Sakura was loosing it! She had such a strange look in her eye. It was bloodlust, he could tell. She was fighting it, he could also tell.

It really hurt him. To see his teammate, and his crush, both suffering from this fight. He was angry before, but now he was furious. Those words Sasuke had said to him...

_Naruto don't let...you dream die..._

A red glow emitted around him. His body changed. The scratches on his face became more pronounced, and his fingernails looked like claws. His eyes were red, and his teeth were much sharper.

He looked up at Haku. a murderous look on his face. "I'm gonna kill you." He threatened.

_**Sakura's P.o.v**_

I looked up. I saw one thing, and one thing only. A red glow, coming from Naruto. He looked different too. Like a monster. It was scary.

The pain came back, the bloodlust. I sat down, hunched over, clutching my stomach, singing hyms of healing to myself. I felt the anger still building up in me. I looked over at Sasuke...

I could see him...?

The mirrors were gone. Naruto was gone, Haku was gone...at this confusion I felt the uneasiness go down a little. I still sang hymns to myself, trying to get the spirit, 'the inner', to go away. Just to will it away. Like I had when I was young. I never acted on my Inner's words, then.

I looked at Sasuke again. Hesitantly I crawled over to him. Seeing his paled face made my stomach wretch. The worst thing was, unlike last time, I had to watch him die. I sung quietly.

"Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze

Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze

Va rei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa

Riou rei croa riou ze rei va ze rei

Va neu va rei va neu va ze rei

Croa riou croa neu tue rei croa riou ze rei va

Rei va neu croa tue rei rei"

I lifted my hand to touch his face, he was freezing! I drew my hand back, then put two fingers to his neck, checking his pulse. I couldn't feel anything. My eyes widened, while I tried to convince myself his pulse must have just been faint. I put a hand on his chest, but couldn't feel anything. I even put my ear close to his mouth to see if he was breathing...nothing. My breath hitched in my throat. He was really gone...

No. He had lived the lst life, so he had to live this life, right? Well...I never really checked his pulse or breathing last time, so he could have been breathing then...

My eyes widened. I could feel hot tears begin to sting my eyes, but I refused to cry. Not over this, not like last time. I couldn't be so weak. My hair, falling in front of my right eye like the other day, was blown out of my face by the wind. I suddenly felt cold. I put my arms around my bare arms, but sighed as I got no warmth. I saw Tazuna walk over. I looked up, and I think he saw the tears in my eyes.

"You really had a liking to this boy, didn't you...?" He asked.

"N-no..." I stuttered, looking back down at Sasuke's motionless body. "I'm...It's just hard to lose a comrade..." I concluded lamely.

"It's okay to cry, you know..." Je said, but I shook my head. "I can't cry..." I said. "Not only is it a sign of weakness, ninja's are not suppose to show any emotion...besides, Sasuke would probably feel disgraced if I cried for him..."

"Why is that?" Tazuna asked. I smiled bitterly.

"He would think I'm crying for him because I feel bad for him. He doesn't want anyone's sympathy..." I shook my head. "...Let alone mine."

_**Sasuke's P.o.v**_

_think...crying…bad for...doesn't...sympathy...Let alone mine..._

A voice floated around in my thoughts. I felt strange. I felt light headed, and my whole body was numb. I groaned as I tried to move, it didn't work for me.

"S-Sasuke...!" I heard a voice exclaim. It was the all too familiar voice of Naruto, the idiot. I opened my eyes, I saw everyone there. The bridge builder, with Sakura near him. Sakura was staring at me wide eyed, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Naruto was smiling, while Kakashi just looked relieved.

"B-but..." Sakura stuttered.

"See, I told you he would live, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, happily.

"You said nothing! Imbecile!" Sakura retorted. She stared at me for a long time. "...he had no pulse...he wasn't breathing...how...?" She sputtered out. After a long silence, Sakura kneeled down beside me. She wrapped her arms around me.

"How was life in Hell, Teammate...?" She asked.

_**Sakura's P.o.v**_

I was so unbelievably happy. He was alive! Thank God! I don't care if it's completely illogical and goes against all laws of science! He came back from Hell, and I'm pretty damn satisfied with that!

We're finally going back home...

**Okay, well...I got that finished a lot sooner than expected! I know, it's kind of lame, but all well! I hope you like it anyway! Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Also...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the hymn I use in this chapter. That belongs to Namco, the company that made tales of the abyss (it's a video game). If you want to find the tune, it's called 'the grand fonic hymn' and it's from 'Tales of the Abyss'. Thank you.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Woo! Update. I got a lot of positive reviews, which makes me really happy! I have no idea what the hymn means, sorry! If you want to find out you can look it up and try to find it. All I know is it's from a video game I like, again, I'm sorry! Well, I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy!**

We were walking home, when Naruto beckoned me over. "Sakura..." He called in a harsh whisper. I gave him a side glance, of which he blushed from getting, and then moved closer to him.

"Hmm? What is it, Naruto-san?" I said, trying to be polite, for once. He looked at me, confusion marked on his features."...Naruto-san...?" I heard him mumble. However, he shook his head, as if to get rid of the thoughts.

"Sakura-Chan..." He started, but seemed to hesitate. I smiled.

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything, right? I am your teammate, after all." I said.

"Well...about that fight...with Haku..." He trailed off as my smile faltered. I had desperately hoped he wouldn't bring that back. I quickly feigned a smile and ushered him to continue.

He looked down at his shoes, both of his hands clutching the straps of his backpack.

"You...Sakura-Chan, what happened back there?" He asked as he looked up at me. "You just went berserk. I wanted to know...if you were...like me..." He trailed off, yet again.

"You mean the demon..." I said quietly. "No, it's not exactly a demon. It's more like...a second soul, if you will." I unconsciously stopped walking.

"I've had it a while." I confessed. "It just never got out before, not really..." I said quietly. I saw his mouth take on the shape of an 'o' before he grinned. Seeming getting over the somber moment.

"So Sakura-Chan...What's with the whole '-san' thing. Someone's finally showing respect to the future Hokage, eh?"

"Naruto, I was just being polite, don't get full of yourself." I said, sighing. Irritation, I'm sure, was etched on my features.

"I'm sorry, who are you talking to?" He asked. I looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Well, who the Hell do you think I'm talking to? It's you, dumbass!" I yelled. Noticing Sasuke and Kakashi stopping to look back at us. Finally, realizing we had fell behind.

"It's Hokage-sama to you." Naruto stated. I rolled my eyes, then glared.

"Naruto..." I growled, very unladylike.

"..."

"Naruto...!" I said, with a little more force now.

"..."

"Naruto, stop ignoring me, damn it!" I said, getting irritated

"...Who's this 'Naruto' you speak of...?" He asked. I was fuming for about five seconds then stopped. I smiled, which must have looked pretty wicked, considering, his cocky features had melted into a look of terror.

"Hey, Naruto...?" I began. He gulped. "How about you cut the cocky act before I make you myself..." he was quiet. Then swallowed and his 'proud-to-be-better-than-you' look overshadowed his terrified face.

"You mean Hokage-sa--" I growled and lunged towards him. He screamed and started to run away, with me close behind.

"Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, help!" He pleased, as he ran towards them. Of course, he ran right past them, without them helping, but when I tried to run past, I felt someone grab a hold of my hair. Yelping, I fell back and glared at who had just 'assaulted' me, in my words.

"Uchiha, what the Hell was that?!" I yelled. He kept his calm exterior, and gave me a cold glare.

"Try to get along with Naruto, and stop yelling, before I lose my sanity." He stated, solemnly. There was no hidden message; there was nothing that was implied. The message was simply 'stop bugging me before I throttle you.' This, of course, pissed me off.

I really need to start meditating. I'm having serious problems with my temper.

"Bite me." I hissed. He glared and replied with.

"Bend over." My eyes widened.

"Pervert."

"Slut"

"Jackass"

"Bitch"

And so went on the fight. With us simply throwing insults at each other.

"Bastard"

"Temperamental, pink-headed, boy-crazy, idiot."

"Anti-social, broody, Emo child!" I shot back.

"Why you little--" His sentence was cut off by myself falling over. Although it wasn't my fault, I could feel Naruto push me...

_...push _me...

It took me a few more moments to realize something...We were kissing. My eyes widened and I could feel warmth rush to my face. I was blushing?! We were mid air, so we certainly couldn't push away and the two seconds we were in the air felt like five-hundred years. As soon as I felt myself hit his body, signaling we had hit the ground, I pushed away and rolled over, so we were about a foot away. I sat up, still blushing, and glared at Naruto, who was rolling on the floor laughing.

"Naruto! What the Hell was that?!" I demanded. He kept laughing, but attempted to answer.

"You..." he took a deep breath."That'll teach you to laugh at me when I had to experience that a while back!" He yelled, seeming extremely proud of himself. That was technically my first kiss, right? In this life at least. So then that means, Naruto made Sasuke take my _first_ kiss. Now, to a girl, as many of you probably know, a first kiss is a big thing. A huge thing, and when someone takes it from you without you wanting them to, it makes you pretty pissed.

_Even though I know I wanted that kiss..._

Pushing that thought aside, I got up and lunged at Naruto. This time, he didn't dodge, he was laughing too hard to move. I tackled him down to the ground. I sat on his abdomen, my knees bent and placed on either side of him. I raised a fist to punch him, but stopped. I stared at his face and saw he looked utterly terrified. I stared for a while, then lowered my fist and started to laugh.

Now, why I was laughing, I have no idea. It could have been because of the look on his face, or it could have been the fact I realized I was overreacting. But I clutched my stomach and leaned over laughing, falling off of Naruto. I saw him smile in the corner of my eyes. I couldn't tell if it was a smile of relief or pleasure, but he sure as Hell wasn't scarred anymore.

My eyes started to water, and I tried to get myself to stop laughing. I got the last few laughs out of my system, and then looked towards Naruto. Who was, again, laughing his ass off.

"Naruto..." I said softly. I got no response.

"Naruto...!" I said a bit louder. Still no response

"Damn it, Naruto it wasn't that funny!" I screeched, he immediately stopped laughing.

"Aha, sorry, Sakura-Chan, but I think it was hilarious!" I smiled and rolled my eyes. Then looked around me, I couldn't see Sasuke or Kakashi anywhere.

"Hey, where are..." I trailed off, seeing Kakashi and Sasuke walking ahead, they were already quite far.

"Hey..." I said quietly. Then got up. "Wait up!" I heard Naruto yell, as he got up too. I couldn't tell if it was directed to me, or Sasuke and Kakashi, but it was to one or the other. I finally caught up, but didn't even receive a glance from Sasuke, and Kakashi only said a quiet, 'wondering when you'd catch up' then went on walking.

My team sucks...

It was night, and of course while everyone else was sleeping peacefully, I wasn't getting a wink of sleep. Remember when I was complaining about never getting any sleep? Well, this was the reason why. Every time I would move, someone would wake up. Each one giving me a small chat. This is what they would say;

Naruto: "Are you okay Sakura-Chan?"

Kakashi: "You should get some sleep, Sakura, or you won't be able to travel tomorrow."

Sasuke: (wakes up, glares, goes back to sleep)

Isn't that just lovely...?

_**Sasuke's P.o.v**_

I wasn't sleeping at all. Every time I would close my eyes, A clash of pink hair and green eyes would fill my mind. Whether it was when she had been staring at me with wonder when I had awoken back at the fight with Haku. Or the time when she told me to 'screw off' back at the bridge builders house.

I couldn't stay awake though. Every time I would open my eyes, she would be awake. Every time I looked at her, she would look back, and every time she would look back at me, as much as I hate to admit it (nor 

will I ever admit it to anyone but myself), I could feel myself want more than just that one kiss that Naruto had caused. Which I would cover up with a glare, then trying to go back to sleep.

...I'm going insane...

_**Sakura's P.o.v**_

I ran my fingers through my long Maine of pink hair. I don't know how I ever managed to handle this when I was young. Well, in the other life. I took out a roll of bandages, and snipped off a good amount. I used that to put my hair up in a neat pony tail that reached about six inches past my neck. I left my bangs in my face, and rearranged them so that they framed my face once more. Like they had before this mission.

I sighed heavily, pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin them. My arms were wrapped around my legs, in a desperate attempt for warmth. I shivered involuntarily, and wrapped my arms tighter around my legs. A song rung through my head, but I refused to sing it. I was afraid of waking the others. My blanket was draped on my shoulders, even though it didn't help, considering how cold I was. My eyes started to droop, of course, relieving me. I was finally beginning to become tired.

I buried my face in my arms, and soon fell asleep.

I knew I was awake but didn't want to open my eyes. What was strange was I felt ground under my right side. I mean, I knew I moved in my sleep but I didn't think I'd go from a sitting position, to a position...like this. Now, I'm not saying it was bad or anything, just different. My legs were over one another, like the fetal position, but my torso was twisted so that my back made contact with the dirt ground. One hand was limp at the side of my head, the other resting on my flat stomach.

Reluctantly, I began to open my eyes. Slowly, they fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was the sun in my eyes...

...Wait a minute, the sun...?

Didn't I _always _wake up at around 4 o'clock in the morning? It was strange that I actually woke up later today. I moaned softly and lifted myself back up into a sitting position. I looked around to see my team already packing up.

"What about breakfast?" I asked. I remember my friends always teasing my about food always being on my mind. Sasuke was the first to reply.

"We already finished it." He stated, monotonously. I raised my eyebrows.

"Then why didn't you wake me up?!" I demanded. He glared at me, as if telling me to shut up.

"Kakashi told us not to." He said. I turned to Kakashi, who wasn't too far away from Sasuke, and glared.

"I hate you." I said simply. He shrugged, and became absorbed in his book again. Just when I figured he wasn't going to reply, he did.

"Well, I figured you needed your rest, after your...eventful day, yesterday..." I quirked an eyebrow, clearly confused. "What do you mean, 'eventful'?" I hissed, while he was silent for a short while. I realized that Sasuke and Naruto were gone, probably getting food.

"Naruto told me about your...episode..." I glared at first, then realized what he meant. The inner, the spirit.

"I expect an explanation when we get back to the village. I nodded eyes still wide. I couldn't believe Naruto told him. I guess he would have, it was quite strange. Wouldn't his sensei be the first person he 

comes to? I sighed heavily, and fell back, lying on my sleeping bag. My arms were spread out, as were my legs. I was staring at the clouds, a habit of Shikamaru's. He proved this to be quite relaxing.

When Sasuke and Naruto got back, we ate and were off to Konoha.

Sasuke and I were waiting for Naruto and Kakashi. Both of which were late (which you probably could concur by the fact we're waiting for them). My outfit was different today. I know I switch outfits all the time, but hey, I'm a girl, I've seen many styles that I like and it's boring to wear the same one each day! However, I really like this outfit, so I might stick with his for a while. Might!

I was wearing a black tube top that ended about two inches above my belly button, showing the pale skin of my abdomen. I had a pair of black skin tight shorts that reached a little above mid-thigh. Red fabric was wrapped around my hips, it was about three inches wide, and in the back it flowed down to mid-calf. It looked a lot like a cape, only it was around my waist. I had white fabric that went up to about an inch above my knee caps.

I, also, had white fabric on my arms, going up to about three inches past my elbow. I had black boots that reached a little lower than mid-calf, and block fingerless gloves. My headband was still around my forehead, in all its glory, and my hair was pulled back into a pony tail that reached a few inches past my neck, except for the bangs that framed my face.

Well, back to the scenery around me. Sasuke was leaning against the railing of the bridge, his irritating aloofness radiating off every fiber of him. I was sitting on the railing opposite of him, looking out into the river. While I was nearly bored to tears, Sasuke seemed to enjoy the time without Naruto. Well, at least if they weren't' together, they couldn't pick fights with each other, right?

"Good morning, Sakura-Chan!" I heard someone yell; I looked over at Naruto and smiled "Oha..." I trailed off when I realized he was glaring at Sasuke. "...yo." I finished, and then sighed irritably.

_Well...this is awkward... _I thought. _Kakashi you better get here soon..._

After about...well, who even knows how long? It seemed like forever, anyway. Kakashi finally arrived.

"Ohayo, everyone!" he chirped, happily. "I got lost today, so..." he trailed off when Naruto screeched out a triumphant "Liar!!"

Hey, hey, Kakashi-sensei! We, the seventh squad, have only been doing easy missions, right?!" Naruto bellowed. "Isn't there a mission where we can play a more exciting role? Something that's more...exciting?! Something that makes my 'way of the ninja' you know, and my heart you know, like this?"

"Oh," Kakashi began. "I see what your trying to get at." He said, as Naruto turned to glare at Sasuke. And so the argument began...

...this is going to be a long day...

We were picking weeds at some lady's house, when Naruto, out of either stupidity or... never mind, just stupidity, he began to violently tear at all the plants, ripping out more than just the weeds. I sighed, heavily.

"Naruto, those aren't--" I was cut off by a clump of herbs--herbs, not weeds--hitting my face. I spit out the ones that had, so disgustingly, landed in my mouth.

"Naruto!" I said harsher than last time. "Those. Are. Not--" Again I was cut off by his violent torrent of the soil--it flew in my face. I desperately tried to spit it out. I glared at Naruto, who was standing in front of a pile of herbs, weeds, and various other plants.

"Hey, you..." a voice said. Naruto turned to a woman beside him.

"Miss, I'm done pulling out all the weeds!" He chirped, proudly. Her body started to shake, most likely with anger. "What's wrong?" He asked, innocently.

"Those weren't' weeds..." she began."Those are herbs that I've been cultivating!" And with that, she began to beat on Naruto.

...Poor Naruto...ish...I mean, he did kind of deserve it, but still...

Next task, we were picking up trash from the river. Sasuke was silent, Naruto was as well, probably too preoccupied with trying to beat Sasuke (Oh, did I mention he has two black eyes? No? oh, well, that lady gave them to him). I was, being the environmentalist I am known to be sometimes, was constantly ranting in my head about how stupid these people must be to throw this stuff in here. Every once in a while, I would make a comment or something, causing Sasuke to glare at me, as if to say 'shut up'--which I know was meant to be said. (A/N- I'm not an environmentalist, I just wanted to make her rant and annoy everyone. . )

Kakashi was off at the side of the river, reading his book peacefully. After a while, Naruto slipped and started to fall down stream, closer to the edge of the waterfall. My eyes widened, and I was about to move, until I saw Sasuke was gone. I knew he was going to help him, so I stopped. Sure enough, as Naruto fell, and I heard him scream, Sasuke had caught him by the ankle. Much like he had when Naruto had fallen off the tree.

...Nice one, Naruto...

Third was we had to walk three dogs. Naruto, of course, had to pick the biggest of the three. Of which was pulling him closer and closer to a forbidden zone.

"Naruto! Pull on the leash!" I commanded.

"I'm trying!"

"Well, then try harder!!" When he had no such luck, I looked at Sasuke. I took his hand and placed my dog's leash in his palm, curling his fingers to make him hold it.

"Take this for, like...five seconds." I pleaded as I ran to Naruto. I grabbed the leash of the dog, while Naruto was still holding on, and pulled it hard, along with a command of 'come by.' (A/N- I saw that on a show, they had to say 'come by' to the dogs to get them to come over to them. So, yeah, I thought I just had to tell you that.) At first the dog didn't respond, which made me figure it wasn't trained. I sighed, and pulled hard on the leash, dragging it to the other side of Naruto. He stared at me with disbelief.

"What?" I asked. He looked at the dog, then at me. "How did you..." I cut him off.

"I have a lot of experience with dogs." I smiled as I walked back over to Sasuke to take my dog back. But, of course, Naruto didn't take my advice, and, later, the dog pulled him into the forbidden zone, the trap field.

"Naruto..." I moaned.

We were on our way to the Hokage tower, Sasuke and I having to practically carry Naruto.

"This is what you get for being reckless." I stated. Sasuke smirked.

"You're the kind of guy who needs help all the time." He said. Naruto became enraged at this and was about to tackle him, but I held him back. I giggled quietly.

"Calm down." I ordered.

"Naruto, you're heavy." I commented. He looked at me.

"Oh, so you can pull a 300 pound dog, but you can't lift me?" He asked. I glared.

"If the dog is 300 pounds, then you must be 500, 'cuz you so much heavier." I drawled.

"Hey!" He objected, but I interrupted.

"Keep arguing and I'll drop you."

"You wouldn't--" He was interrupted by his face coming in contact with the cement. I had dropped him, Sasuke had already stopped helping him, so Naruto had no one to lean on. I lifted a hand to my mouth in mock guilt.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" I said. He glared at me, my reply was only a smile. I bent down, in a crouching position, so that I was at his level, since he hadn't gotten off the ground.

"Aww, I'm sorry!" I said, actually sincerely apologized (partially, sort of, kind of, sincerely). He laughed it off as I helped him off the ground. Sasuke looked at us strangely, I smiled.

"You're both strange." He said quietly.

"No." I objected. "We're just best friends; this is, like, a daily thing."

"I'm glad I don't have a best friend, then." He said. I giggled and rolled my eyes.

Kakashi had suggested calling it quits for the day, and Sasuke was about to go home. I didn't know what to do, until I thought about our teamwork. I could use some help, maybe we could all work and train together.

"Wait! Sasuke, get back here!" He kept walking.

"Sasuke! Wait!" I urged, but he didn't stop.

"Damn it, Sasuke! Get you fat ass over here!" I screeched. He finally stopped, but all he did was turn to face me, he didn't walk back.

"What do you want?" He ordered.

"Naruto, Sasuke, how about we all work on our teamwork skills? You know, we could train together, and--" Sasuke interrupted me.

"Why don't you works on you own skills? To be blunt, you worse than Naruto..." My eyes widened.

"Ex-excuse me?! What do you mean by that?!" I screeched. He looked at me.

"I mean you weak." he replied. I glared for a long time, before my already short fuse ran out.

"I'll show you weak!" I said as I advanced on him, but Naruto pulled me back.

"Sakura-Chan, he's not worth it..." he said quietly. Even though I knew it was only because he knew I couldn't beat him.

"Why does everyone think I'm so damn weak?!" I yelled, I felt Naruto's hand slip from my arm, then heard him say something, but I wasn't paying attention. It took me a while to realize I was by myself.

"Okay, now I'm alone?!" I growled with frustration, before stomping off to train.

I found Naruto not too far away. He was talking with three little kids. One of which I recognized as Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson. My eyes softened a bit at the sight of him, he really did take it hard when the Hokage--.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said. I glanced at Naruto, then back at Konohamaru, then at the other two little kids. Soon I looked back at Naruto, questionably, hoping he would introduce me without me having to ask. I nod of felt uncomfortable with the whole 'care to introduce me?' crap, so...

I saw Konohamaru elbow Naruto in the ribs, or as close as he could get, considering how short he was.

"You're better than I thought..." he said. I seemed to recall this scene from before. I glared at Konohamaru, which went unnoticed.

"Huh?" was Naruto's oh-so-clever response. "She's your..." he trailed off. "...Right?" he said, holding up his pinky finger. I glared harder.

'You kids are pretty sharp." Naruto began. My eyes widened and I stared at him incredulously.

"Okay, no. Just...just no." I said as I walked over. I pointed to Naruto and myself, as I looked at Konohamaru.

"We," I drawled, "Are _only _friends." Konohamaru opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted him.

"And if you say anything about me being in fucking denial I'll throttle you!" I yelled. He pouted.

"How can you be so mean? Ugly girl! Ugly!" He shouted. I raised both my eyebrows...it's been a while since someone called me ugly...what...? Fifteen years?

"You wish you could be with Leader! I bet he rejected you because of your ugly pink hair!" He screamed.

Okay...

No...

No one insults the hair...! Not even with a stupid remark of calling my 'pinky'!! Last time Sai called me that, he got a broken arm! I glared at the kid in front of me.

"...And that wide forehead! Are you even a girl?!" My eyes widened. I advanced on him as he started to back away. Soon, him, and all the others, were running away. I didn't bother chasing them but I glared at the spot they were not two seconds ago. I took a deep breath and counted to ten. Then let it out. I was going to walk away, when I heard an unfamiliar voice.

"...That hurt..." the voice said. I rushed after them, only to see Konohamaru in Kankuro's grasp. "That hurt, brat." He said. I rushed over, and was standing beside Naruto.

"Stop it! We're going to get scolded later." A blonde girl, Temari, said. I glared at Kankuro.

"Put him down." I ordered. He looked at me. He chuckled darkly, the asked, "...And who are you to make me?" I glared, as I formulated a plan in me head. I needed a way to , at least, distract Kankuro, while Konohamaru and the others got away.

I teleported behind Kankuro, and directed a kick to his side, which he blocked with his free hand, gripping my ankle in a painfully tight hold. I winced while he smirked.

"Pathetic." He spat. I saw this as an opening and tossed a kunai at his wrist, causing him to drop Konohamaru, who scrambled over to his 'Leader.' Kankuro then glared at me, whirled around, and gripped my wrists in a tight hold.

"I wouldn't move if I were you..." He hissed. I glared at him, and yelled; "Naruto, get Konohamaru and the others out of here, now!" I couldn't see what he was doing, but he didn't reply at first.

"Why do I have to go--" I spun around in Kankuro's grip to look at Naruto.

"Because you're their leader, they'll follow you, now go!!" I yelled, Kankuro gripped my wrists tighter and made me look at him.

"Don't look away from me." He warned. I glared for a while, uncomfortable with how close his face was to mine, and spat in his face. He pulled away and let go of my wrists, wiping his face. I saw Naruto and Konohamaru were still here, I glared at them.

"Damn it, Naruto! Listen to me for once in your damn life, will you? Leave now! If not you, at least make the other three leave!" I screamed.

"I'm not leaving, Sakura!"

"Why you--" Kankuro began as he took a swipe at me, of which I dodged. I tried to punch him, but he caught my fist and pushed me against the wall, choking me with one hand, holding down my right arm with the other. I couldn't breathe, obviously, and I tried to squirm out of his grip. I heard Naruto screaming my name.

"Listen you--" he began but was cut off be a rock flying through the air, hitting his wrist. He let go of me, as I slid to the ground, gasping for air.

I looked up and saw Sasuke, crushing a rock in his hand. Naruto rushed over to help me, but stopped when Kankuro took a step back. Whether it was on purpose of not, he was now in the way of the path to me.

I grabbed Kankuro's ankle, pulling it so that he fell and hit the stone wall.

"For Konohamaru..." I murmured. He tackled me so that he was over me. I quickly kicked him off and did a few back hand springs to get further away, then threw a kunai, hitting him right in the abdomen. Years of training with Tenten pays off!

"I hate kids like you two..." Kankuro winced. "...Who think they're so clever." He grabbed the strap of whatever was on his back.

"Hey!" Temari started. "You're going to use Karasu?"

"Kankuro," a deep voice rang out. "Stop." Sasuke's eyes widened to realize that this red haired, green eyes boy had gotten behind him without him knowing.

"You're a disgrace to our village." The red haired boy said. everyone's eyes widened.

"G-Gaara..." Kankuro stuttered. "Listen, Th-they started the whole thing, you see..."

"Shut up." Gaara interrupted. "Or I'll kill you."

"R-right, umm...Sorry Gaara..." Kankuro stuttered, even though I remembered Gaara and his power over his siblings, it was kind of strange how he could have this much power.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble he caused." Gaara apologized.

_Yeah... _I thought. _Trouble, that's a good word for it, when he tried to freaking kill me! _I unconsciously lifted a hand to rub my neck, and saw Gaara's cold stare flicker towards me for a short while.

He disappeared in a flourish of sand, and teleported to the ground.

"Let's go." He ordered.

"Wait." I ordered, but they didn't stop. "Okay, I said wait!" I screeched irritated.

"What?" I heard Temari ask, but none of them turned around.

"You three, obviously enough, are from the Sand village, correct?" They had turned around and Temari was about to answer my question, but I cut her off. "That was a rhetorical question, Dumb shit." She glared at me, but I shrugged it off.

"I know the fire and wind countries are allies, but they can't enter each others countries without permission. Are you here for the Chunin exams?" No one answered.

"Yes, I know that whole explanation was pretty useless to you three, but to some people here it was required. Now, would you answer the question?" I said, becoming annoyed. Gaara was the one who answered, surprisingly enough.

"Yes." He said, simply.

"Are you three in it?" Kankuro asked. I shook my head. "If we are, we haven't gotten any note of it." Sasuke jumped down beside me, glaring at the three sand siblings.

"Too bad..." Kankuro began. "I was looking forward to beating you two." I glared, but kept my anger at bay. After all, he was twice my size (Even though I'm known to have super-human strength. Or, at least, was know, in my other life). They began to walk away again.

"Wait, what's your name?" Sasuke demanded. Temari turned around blushing. "M-me?" she stuttered. Sasuke shook his head.

"The one with the Gourd." He clarified. Said boy turned to meet Sasuke's gaze.

"Gaara. I'm curious, what about you? What's your name?" Sasuke straightened his posture. Showing he was immensely proud of himself. "Sasuke Uchiha." He replied. Next, Gaara looked at me."And you?" he asked. I glared at him.

"Well, since your here, you'll find out soon enough, won't you." I replied, remembering not to give out any information.

"What about me? I bet your dying to know my name!" Naruto bellowed. Gaara looked at him.

"I couldn't care less." He said simply, and then started to walk away.

Aha, burned...

We were, yet again, waiting for Kakashi to show up.

I groaned. "Every morning, we have to wait for him. When the Fu--...Is he ever gonna' get here on time?!" I said. Refraining from cursing.

"I know!" Naruto agreed.

"I didn't even have enough time to train this morning!" I moaned. I felt Sasuke's gaze on me, but I ignored it.

"Yeah! And I didn't even have enough time to brush my teeth or change my underwear!" Naruto yelled. I stared at him for a long while.

"Naruto...why don't you wake up earlier from now on, hmm?" I suggested. Kakashi finally arrived.

"Hello everyone, sorry I'm late. Afraid I got lost on the path of life." He apologized.

"You liar!" Naruto screeched.

He jumped down in form of us. "I know this is a bit sudden but," he began. "I'm signing you up for the Chunin exams."

My eyes widened. That was where Orochimaru was, that was where Sasuke nearly died (again), that was where...everything happened.

_No... _I thought. _No, no, no, no!_

"No..." I said quietly. Naruto looked over at me, being the only one who heard me.

"Sakura-Chan...?" He said, concerned.

_And this is where my life begins to end..._

**Okay! Sorry it took kind of long to update! I hope you like this chapter! Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, so sorry for the slow update. I was more than halfway through not too long after my last update, and then my computer just shut off! I thought I would be okay, because I had saved it, but when I tried to open it, it didn't work! All it gave me are all these retarded boxes. I was so pissed off! I had worked so hard on it, and it all went away. I don't think any of this is going to be nearly as good as the last one. I think I'm going to start saving it on two different files now, so I always have a back up!**

I was atop a building as I thought about what to do. I was leaning on the railing of the roof, clutching it so hard my knuckles turned white. My gaze was hard and empty, not really staring at anything unparticular. I was thinking hard.

I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do the Chunin exams. If I didn't, the rest of the team couldn't participate either, although, that would save so much pain. Sasuke wouldn't get a curse mark, all that drama it caused wouldn't happen, and he wouldn't leave. Then maybe we...

...What am I thinking? Even if he stays, I wouldn't have the happy ending I want. Besides, I can't stop them. He and Naruto both want to participate so badly, I would feel horrible if I took all that away from them, absolutely not an option.

If I let them participate, Sasuke would get bitten, but who's to say that wouldn't happen anyway. They would want to participate next year, and I couldn't say I wasn't ready then. Orochimaru might be there, too. Then it would all happen again. It's an Eden, there's no stopping it. As much as I want to, I guess it's meant to happen...

...No. It can't. Just because we have to participate, doesn't mean it has to happen. I'll do all I can to stop it, whether I participate or not.

...But...

"Sakura!" A voice rang out, and ripped me from my troubling thoughts. I looked down to see Sasuke.

"Let's go for a walk, just you and me." he said. I knew this wasn't Sasuke, his chakra signature was different. He barely had a chakra signature, and I knew it couldn't be him. Also, since when does Sasuke want to talk to me? Regardless, I got down off the roof of the building and followed him.

We had been walking for a while before I decided to talk.

"Why did you want me to walk with you?" I asked. He stopped walking.

"I wanted to tell you," he began, "To forget about the Chunin exams. These ninja are brutal and won't hesitate to kill you." I stared hard at him, the supposed Sasuke.

"You're saying I'm weak...?" I inquired. He looked at me.

"I never said that. Sakura, I just want you to be safe." he replied. I laughed bitterly.

"What a sick joke..." I said quietly, he looked at me incredulously.

"Sakura..." he began.

"I don't know who you are," I began, "Or why you need to warn me about this." he looked at me for a while.

"Come here." I instructed.

"Sakura..."

"Just come here!" I snapped, he walked over. I flicked out a kunai which went through his chest. When I say 'went through' I'm not exaggerating, it literally went through his chest. There was no blood, no wounds, nothing. He was an illusion.

"I knew it..." I said quietly. "Whoever decided to play this sick joke on me, I knew it wasn't Sasuke!" I shouted, not really knowing who I was shouting to.

"Whoever you are, if you're going to try to trick someone, get your facts straight! This bastard doesn't gave a shit about any one of us; he would leave us all to die if it meant getting power, even though we would die for him. He doesn't care about me getting hurt. Whether it's because he thinks I can handle it, or he really doesn't care, he wouldn't stop me..." I trailed off, then whispered, "...He wouldn't care..."

I gathered Chakra around my hand and rested it on my head, healing the already apparent headache also sending the allusion away. I felt like screaming, but I held it back. Whoever had done that was most likely still watching, and I couldn't break down in front of them.

I wanted so bad for that illusion to be real, but, not only could I recognize an illusion on sight, I remembered this from the old life. I wished Sasuke actually cared. As much as I wanted to believe I didn't love him, a certain part of me did, and that part was slowly but surely taking over. I was losing my mind knowing I was falling for him all over again, and that he could, just like the old life, break me.

I was having an internal feud with myself, whether or not to give him my heart. On part said that he would simply take it with him when he left, slowly ripping it to pieces. Another side argued that love is love, and you can't just turn it down. The latter side was winning, and I could just see his grasp on my heart. It took me a while to realize that I had been standing in the same spot for so long, staring at nothing.

I was joining the Chunin exams, I decided. I couldn't just drop out, I needed this.

_This is where my heart begins to break..._

--

I was making my way towards the place our team was meeting.

"Sakura!" I heard Naruto shout, I looked ahead of me, instead of at my shoes like I was, and saw him standing with Sasuke. I smiled weakly, and walked up to where he was.

"I'm glad you came, Sakura-Chan!" he exclaimed, probably alluding to the panic attack I had when the Chunin exams were first mentioned. I smiled again, and we headed inside.

When we got inside, we saw two guys blocking the way to room 301, the one we had to get into. Although, I knew this wasn't it, this was the second floor. I saw Tenten, whom I had recognized from the past life, who had a mark on her cheek, meaning they had hit her.

"...delicate little girls don't belong here." I heard one declare, it was all I heard of their speech. I immediately spoke up.

"Well then, I guess you two should be leaving, huh?" I saw them both glare at me.

"Excuse me?" One said, Naruto was snickering. "I don't think you should be talking to someone like that when you know nothing about the,. They could be strong enough to crush you." One warned.

"I could say the same to you." I replied, then added. "Here's an example. My team and I know about your little trap, let us go on to the right floor, please? Release the genjutsu."

I heard someone in the crowd whisper; "what is she talking about, this is the third floor, the right floor."

The guys smirked. "Well, aren't you the smart one," he said, releasing the genjutsu. "Well, let's see if you can handle this!" He charged at me, swinging a kick, which I got ready to block. Sasuke jumped in front of me and sent one of his own kicks at the guy, about to counteract his attack. I raised my eyebrows, surprised he had done that, but figured he was just looking for a fight.

Before either one of them attacked, a green blur blocked both of their attacks. A boy in green spandex (insert shudder here) stopped them both. He had a bowl shaped haircut, unbelievable thick eyebrows, and huge round eyes. To be blunt, this boy was...Unique. It was the one and only Rock Lee.

"Lee!" a voice lectured. "What happened to the plan? It was your idea to lay low in the first place!"

"I know but..." he trailed off as his gaze shifted to me, making me feel immensely uncomfortable.

"My name is Rock Lee," he began as he approached me, not making me feel any better. "You are Sakura, right?" I nodded mutely. He gave me thumbs up as his teeth sparkled.

"Please be my girl friend! I promise to protect you with my life!" He offered as I stared at him, as Sasuke glared at him and Naruto was steaming mad.

"U-umm...No...Thank you..." I said, my sentences becoming broken up because of nervousness. Lee's face seemed to fall.

"Why?" he asked. I frowned. As nice as he proved to be...he was still rather...I don't know, creepy? Yeah, that seemed like a good word for him.

"Because...you just too unique for me..." I said quietly, hoping not to hurt his feelings too bad. Although, I knew I had to if I didn't want to be with him.

"Hey, you, what's your name?" Neji asked Sasuke. Naruto was seething with Jealousy, most likely at the thought of Neji not asking his name. I was just happy the attention was pulled away form me. I never liked attention.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking others." Sasuke replied, in that smart ass, know it all tone. I rolled my eyes as I heard Tenten giggle. Neji glared at him for a while, then turned his eyes on me. I gulped at the sudden attention.

"What about you? What's your name?" He asked. I straightened my posture and glared.

"You need to know because why?" I asked, he simply glared in response.

"I simply find you two very interesting..." He said. I glared, and I guess he figured out I wasn't going to respond, because he sighed and turned away. I looked at Naruto, who was leaning against the wall muttering something about it 'always being about Sasuke, along with Lee who was Sulking about me calling him 'unique.' I almost felt bad, but I knew he got over it eventually.

I grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's wrists, pulling them along.

"Come on, there's enough of the drama, let's just go." I said.

"Okay, don't pull me Sakura." Sasuke seethed. I just rolled my eyes and kept pulling.

After we had been walking for a while, I stopped.

"Which was are we supposed to go?" I asked. I waited, but heard no answer.

"Well, you could at least say 'I don't know,' you don't have to ignore me..." Still I got no response. I turned around to find no one there. I frowned and figured they had kept moving when I let go, not knowing I had stopped.

_Or they could have simply been annoyed. _I thought.

I began to try to find Naruto and Sasuke, but after nearly twenty minutes of endless (not to mention result less) searching, I decided to rest. Sighing heavily, I leaned against the wall. Why did I always have to be forgotten? If I was always on their mind, they wouldn't have left me here!

I sighed heavily, and started to search again.

_**Sasuke's P.o.v**_

_"Hey! You with the attitude! Stop!" a voice rang out. I stopped and looked back. I saw the weird kid from before standing on a balcony, staring down at me._

That's what happened not too long ago, the psycho wanted to fight me.

_"And..." he trailed off, looking at something. "Hey, where is my Cherry Blossom?" I felt anger boil inside of me at the sound of the nickname, but ignored it. Then, paid attention to the question..._

_Where was Sakura?_

Well, we didn't find out. Naruto tried to fight Lee, and lost miserably. I tried to, and...Lost. This was pretty embarresing. There was a strange moment with Lee and what I suppose was his Sensei.

_"Lee!"_

_"Gai-sensei!"_

_"Lee!"_

_"Gai-sensei!" And then they both ran at each other, embracing one another in a hug. A sunset lit lake showed in the background._

I shutter just thinking about it. Now, the Dobe and I were searching for Sakura. Where the Hell was she? She couldn't' have just left, could she have?

_**Sakura's P.o.v**_

"Hey, Pinky!" I heard someone yell, I turned to face quite a grungy looking man. He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen; he had messy black hair and deep brown eyes. His skin was tanned, and he was fairly tall. I quirked an eyebrow questionably, as he advanced on me. With each step foreword he took, I took a step back, holding my glare. He smirked, he reached foreword and was about to grab my wrist, but I jumped back.

"You scarred?" he asked, almost innocently. I glared.

"Just what do you want?" I growled.

"No need to get feisty..." He said. I had a feeling i knew what this guy had in mind. "How about you and I…"

"I really don't want to have to kill you." I threatened; he smirked at me, again. Before I knew it, he was behind me. I whirled around and punched him; he stumbled, but grabbed my wrist. I gathered chakra around my wrist, burning his hand, and leaving a gaping wound on his palm.

"Bitch!" He seethed. With his hand that wasn't scorched, he grabbed both my wrists, obviously not learning his lesson. I went to punch him, but something stopped me. I saw a brown-ish color in front of me, stopping my punch. It wrapped around the man and lifted him off the ground. I recognized the brown substance as Sand, which could only mean...

"Gaara, Leave him be." I said, as calmly as possible. "I want to handle this." Surprisingly I saw the sand slip away, even though I figured he would kill him later. The man looked scarred to death, probably hearing about Gaara before. I walked up to him, lifted him off the ground by his shirt collar, and punching him square in the jaw. He hit the wall, knocking him unconscious.

I turned around, hoping to see Gaara, but I saw nothing.

"Gaara?" I called, hopefully. I still saw nothing. Then I heard the shuffling of feet, I turned and Saw Gaara. He was looking at the man.

"I expected Lee, even Sasuke or Naruto to help me, I didn't think you would!" I said, smiling, but he walked right past me and looked at the man on the ground. I frowned.

"How about you leave him? Sure, he's a bastard, but maybe you shouldn't kill him. I mean.." I was cut off by Gaara.

"Are you not scared?" he asked. I raised my eyebrows.

"Umm...should I be?" I asked, innocently. He turned to look at me, and a staring contest started, which seemed to last forever.

"Sakura!" someone called, along with another voice, calling "Sakura-Chan!" I recognized them as Sasuke and Naruto. I didn't break my eye contact with Gaara. I felt a hand on my arm, urging my to look at them, but I only gave them a quick glance, then looked back at Gaara. I could see Sasuke glaring at Gaara in the corner of my eye. Naruto was staring at Gaara, as if to ask 'What is he doing here?' They both looked at me.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, I nodded, and he slightly pushed urging me to go.

"Come one," he said, "We have to sign up."

I tore my gaze from Gaara and started walking. This is how the Chunin exams started.

--

We had reached room 301 and Kakashi had given us that speach about the three of us all having to go in there at the same time. That we all had to be there, or we couldn't go. We entered the room after a 'good luck' from Kakashi. We saw there were many different faces. Some which were more friendly than others. They were all staring at us.

"Well...This is awkward..." I said quietly.

"Sasuke! There you are!" A voice said--No, screeched--from behind Sasuke. Ino jumped on his back. "Sasuke! I was hoping you would show up! You don't know how much I missed those brooding good looks of yours."

"Well, I can guarantee none of us missed you, Ino..." I mumbled, too bad it didn't go unheard by Ino.

"Forehead!" she screeched. "They let you in too? You still have those frown lines on your forehead."

"Yeah," I agreed, "And I see you still have those split ends, and you're putting on a bit of weight. Wow! Did you actually start eating, Ino?" I said, putting a hand to my cheek in mock surprise. She glared at me.

"You're lying! I have not!" She shouted.

"Maybe not..." I said, "But I'm not lying about that giant zit on your forehead." I said emotionlessly.

"What?!" She screamed, pulling out a compact mirror from her weapons pouch. "I do not!"

"Why the Hell do you keep a compact in your weapons pouch. Imagine pulling that out when you need a kunai. By God! You could blind them with their own hideous reflection!" I said. She glared at me.

"No one asked you!" I rolled my eyes; she knew it was true; it was silly to keep that in a weapons holster.

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino had all shown up. Kiba, getting into a fight with Naruto and Sasuke (mostly Naruto).

"Guys! Guys! Calm down! There's really no need for us to get into a fight over nothing!" I said, stepping in between Naruto and Kiba. Kiba stared at me for the longest time.

"Sakura?" he asked. I looked at him.

"Umm...yeah?" I said, unsure of what he could possibly want.

"That's really you? The flat, pink-haired girl with the short temper?" I rolled my eyes.

"I take offense in that..." I said quietly. He kept staring.

"Kiba! Stop staring at _my _Sakura-Chan!" Naruto bellowed, while pulling me near him.

"Hey! No one ever said she was yours!" Kiba retorted, grabbing my other arm. I pulled away from both of them.

"I'm not either of yours! Bastards!" I screamed walking away from them. I was beside Ino and in front of Shikamaru. I was wearing the same outfit I had worn the other day. Consisting of red, black, and white. Ino seemed to be crazy mad. Most likely at the fact that two boys were (technically) fighting over me, and no one was fighting over her.

"Hey guys!" a voice said. I turned to see the one and only Kabuto. I glared as hard as I could. "You might want to try keeping it down a little. I mean, no offense, but, your the nine rookies right, fresh out of the academy? I wouldn't go making a spectacle out of yourselves. Just cool it; this isn't a class field trip."

"Well who asked you? Who are you?" Ino, yet again, screeched.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, but really, look around you. You've made quite an impression." he replied, as we looked around to find nearly everyone was staring at us. quite a few guys staring at Ino and I. Kabuto explained that 'we don't want to rub them the wrong way' in his words. Saying that the Chunin exams made everyone Tense. He also explained that this was his seventh time taking the exam, and that the rumors about it being hard were very true.

"Maybe I can help you," he began, pulling out a deck of cards, "With my ninja info cards."

He explained to us how it worked, how he got the information. He also explained the reason they had all the villages together for the exams, to unite the villages, in a way. Also, to choose the same amount of ninja per village, and maintaining balance.

"Do those cards of your have any info on the other candidates?" Sasuke asked, stepping foreword.

"They might," Kabuto replied, "You have anyone special in mind."

"I might."

"Well, I can't guarantee my information is great or complete, but I have something on just about everyone." Kabuto stated. "Including you guys of course. So, what is it, tell me anything you want about them, a description, where they're from, whatever. Anything at all."

"He's Gaara of the desert, and there's Rock Lee of the Leaf village, while your at it."

"Aw, that's no fun, you even know their names, that makes it easy." He took out two cards and laid them on the ground. He placed his finger on one, and in a puff of smoke, the card was filled with information. He gave us Rock Lee's information. Next was Gaara, but there wasn't much on him.

I saw Naruto practically falling apart after Kabuto's comment on this being the toughest batch of candidates yet, and I knew what he was planning on doing.

"Naruto, I know what you're thinking, but you can't..." I was cut off by his screaming.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna beat every one of ya!" Everyone in the room looked towards us, and I smacked my forehead, forgetting about the headband around it. A wave of pain shot up my arm but I didn't flinch, so many years of training taught me not to show pain.

"Naruto..." I growled, then sighed, "...You idiot..."

"What's he trying to do? Get us killed?!" Ino screeched. "Tell your boyfriend to keep his big fat trap shut!" I glared at Ino from the corner of my eye.

"You know what; you're not making it any better by..." I said quietly, and then yelled. "...Screaming in my freaking ear!"

"I don't care; just get your boyfriend to..."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Oh, I forgot, you can't get one!"

"Alright that's it!" I screamed and got ready to punch her, she just barely managed to dodge it and my fist was about to hit the wall. My eyes widened in realization that I was about to show everyone my abilities, or at least some of them. I pulled my fist to a stop, before it hit the wall.

"Hah! You missed!" She pointed out.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled, apparently not hearing even a bit of our conversation. "I feel a lot better now!"

"Uuh, could you say that a little louder, I don't think I quite caught that." Kiba chuckled.

"You moron! Are you trying to get everyone here to hate our guts?" Shikamaru lectured, but Naruto kept on laughing. I stepped in front of him and his laughter took on a more nervous tone.

"U-Uuh...Sakura! Hey..."

"Naruto, what the Hell is wrong with you? That sudden blast of stupidity will most likely cost us our lives!"

"I...guess it wasn't my best idea?" he said, hopefully.

"No shit, dipstick!" I hissed, but the conversation was curtailed by blur racing by me, which I saw in the corner of my eye. It raced towards Kabuto, and he jumped back to avoid it. The blur, a sound ninja, took a swipe at Kabuto, which he dodged. He was fast; I'll give him credit for that. I'm pretty sure everyone else had something like that in mind. Out of the nine rookies at least.

Then his glasses broke, "Oh, I get it." he muttered, "So it's that kind of attack." He took his glasses off.

"Hang on! I saw all of that, he dodged that attack! How did that happen?" Sasuke demanded.

"I guess it came closer than it looked. Tch, look at him acting like it was nothing what a tough guy..." Shikamaru suggested. Kabuto's eyes widened, he doubled over and coughed up blood.

"Kabuto!" Naruto called. He and I ran towards him, helping him up. "Kabuto, are you okay?!" Naruto asked.

"Yeah...Yeah I'm fine." He assured.

"...Not such a tough guy after all, I guess..." One sound ninja, th one who attacked him, laughed. "Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try."

"Put this on your little cards, punk. The genin from the sound village, will be Chunin by the end of this." Another one said. There was a long silence, before something at the front of the room interrupted it. A puff of smoke appeared, and a voice called out.

"Okay, you baby face degenerates, Listen up!" A man appeared, with scars diagonally across his face. "It's time to begin; I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. From this moment, your worst enemy..."

**Alright! That's this chapter! I hope you all liked it, the Chunin exams will start, you know, for real, in the next chapter, sorry if you were expecting it to start this chapter, but I felt I wanted to do that on another chapter, so, sorry. I hope you liked it anyway! Thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ugh! Sorry about the wait. With end-of-the-year tests and all (you know, finals?). Ugh, I'm glad it's summer! I hope I can update sooner now! Please review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

The tests had finally started, and all I could think about was how my teammates were doing. The test was, of course, easy to me, considering I had taken it before, and had even had an easy time then. I knew Naruto would have a hard time, and I wasn't sure about Sasuke. Even though we had made it last time, maybe something would change...

MY pencil laid limp and loose in my hand as I stared at my paper. I had finished, but that thought crossed my mind, and it certainly had a big impact. How many times had I said that, "Things could change in this life?' I've said it many times before, I know that much. Nothing has changed, nothing has gone wrong, which leads me to believe Nothing will go right, from here on out. Think of all the things that go wrong...

Sasuke is bitten by Orochimaru. I swore not to let that happen, but I also swore not to let Sasuke have that near death experience, and look what happened. So what's going to happen now...?

Sasuke leaves. Can you believe that? He leaves all of us behind him. I know I swore not to let that happen either, but…Man, talk about irony. I just want to understand what's going to happen, but I don't want to find out Sasuke's going to leave.

_Every time I swear to do something I can never hold that promise... _I thought, bitterly. _I'm not like Naruto, the way he tried so hard to stick to that promise, that he would bring Sasuke back. Look at me, I'm barely even trying, even though I think I am, some part of me knows I'm not. _

I felt a force hit the back of my head, and my grip on my pencil tightened. I remembered this; Ino had tried to cheat off of me, regardless of the proctor's warnings not to. My body began to turn numb, and I knew she was taking control.

I head was pounding and as my body began to feel again, a short lasted wave of relief washed over me. Then, I realized, even though I could feel, I couldn't move.

_Forehead!_ A voice screeched. _Stop resisting, this won't take long._

No... I resisted. _Just because you're too stupid to know the answers doesn't mean you can look off of me._

I flipped my paper over; with my remaining control I had over my body. I knew the weakness to this jutsu, if I could only reach my weapons pack...

I felt my arm begin to move, even though it was slow, and it hurt to move it, it moved.

Slowly but surely, my arm began moving towards my weapons holster. All the while, I could hear Ino's screams and protests.

She was desperately trying to stop me, every once and a while my arm would jerk back and inch or two, only making the process of moving my arm longer. I didn't understand why she had to use me, instead f anyone else, but apparently, she needed me. She would try to use my other arm to flip the paper back over, which I would stop.

I reached my weapons and pulled out a kunai, and, with a grunt, lodged in my thigh. I knew her body was experiencing the same pain I was, that every wound I received, she would, too.

I heard a banshee scream emit from the back of my head, sending a headache straight to the front, my forehead and eyes aching.

Not long after, I felt my arm fall limp, and the first thought was that she had taken over my body. I know most people would say none of this was worth the fight, but seriously, we're supposed to cheat _well._ If you can't get them to give in, you aren't doing a very good job.

After a long time of my body not moving, I realized she had not taken over, but she had given up. Most likely searching for new prey. Flipping my paper back over, I wrote my name neatly at the top of the paper. Of which I had failed to remember to do before. Quietly, I once again flipped in upside down.

I was oblivious to the pair of eyes staring intently at me...

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I had been waiting a long time for the tenth question, of which Ibiki, our proctor, had talked about. He would give us the tenth question--which was supposedly the hardest of them all--at the end.

"Very well then," Ibiki's voice echoed throughout the classroom. "You may choose whether or not to be given the final question. Most in the class were surprised, some even seemed rather scared, to hear this statement.

Temari's voice could be heard. "Whoa! Then what's the catch? What if we say we don't want to do it, what happens then?"

"If you choose not to answer the tenth question, regardless of how you answered the other nine," he began,

"...You get a zero...

"...In other words; you fail. And that means, of course, your other teammates fail too."  


The classroom erupted into murmurs of 'No Way!' and 'Who would choose to fail?' Along with someone saying, 'Of course we'll do it then!'

"Hold on, you didn't let me finish..." I sighed and rested my chin on my palm. "If you do accept the question and answer it incorrectly, not only do you fail..." I began to mouth along with what he was saying. "You will be banned from taking the Chunin exams, ever again!"

Kiba stood up, claiming it was a load of bull, that it was unfair. But, he claimed he was't making the rules before now; that he was in charge while he wasn't last year.

_This is bullshit, why can't we just get this over with!?_

Okay then, this is it, the final question! Whoever wants to leave, raise your hand!"

"I'm out! That's it, I'm out! I just can't!"

"I quit!"

"Me too, sir! I'm out!"

More and more people began to file out. I glanced at Naruto, hoping he wouldn't raise his hand, I knew what was going to happen and he couldn't just give up.

Slowly, Naruto began to raise his hand. my eyes widened.

"Na--" I began to shout, but he slammed it down on the desk, cutting me off.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, but your not going to scare me away! I don't care if I get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life," he stood up, "I'll still be hokage some day!"

I smiled and rolled my eyes. _He's so considerate of his teammates..._ I thought.

"This decision could change your life. If for any reason you want to quit, now's your chance." Ibiki stated.

"No way, I never go back on my word," Naruto retorted "It's the way of the ninja."

This speech seemed to motivate everyone else to stay. Ibiki stepped forward.

"Alright, those of you remaining, there's only one thing left for me to tell you...

"..And it's that you've all passed the first exam!"

There was an awkward silence, "How...easy..." I mumbled, but in the silence, I'm sure it could be perfectly heard.  
Ibiki explained to us the exact motive of the test. To see how well we handle under pressure--that we were supposed to cheat. Naruto nodded, pretending that he understood every word, that he knew all along, making it incredibly obvious that he was clueless all along.

He took off his headband, revealing the top of his head. Many people's mouths fell agape and practically everyone was staring. "Information; It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather information can determine whether your mission is a failure, or a success. They'll be ties you'll have to risk your life to get it!"

His scalp was covered with blisters and scars, it looked as if it was under a fire but the scalp was all we could see. It was actually rather disturbing and quite stomach churning, almost disgusting.

He put the bandanna back on. "Of course you must consider your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy isn't always entirely accurate. Bare this in mind. This information can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades, or the loss of a village. that's why I put you in a position where you had to gather accurate intelligence, cheat, in order to survive. Therefore those who could not handle the pressure were weeded out."

"Okay," Temari began, "But I'm still not sure what that whole tenth question was about."

"You don't?" he asked, and then explained "The final question gave you two choices, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe and skip the question, though meaning you and your teammates fail. Or you could answer it, knowing if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance of ever being chunin. It was a no win situation, but just the sort chunin have to face every day.

"For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission. to steal a document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has, or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to believe that the enemy expects you, that you might as well be walking blindly into a trap. Now do you have an option of doing this insane mission, to avoid danger? No!

"There will be many missions that seem almost suicidal if you think about it, but you do it anyway! You do not think about it, you think only of the goal. And achieving it through courage and discipline! These are the qualities required of a chunin squad leader.

"Those who choose the safer route, those who chicken out in the face of danger, those who put their comrades' lives in danger, by worrying about their own will never be able to call themselves chunin, at least, as long as I'm here."

_Why do people always have to give such long lectures..._

"As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered all ten questions I have given you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. I hereby declare this part of the chunin exam, over!" He finished. "There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck!"

Naruto began jumping for joy at his new accomplishment. there was a crash and shards of glass flew everywhere. A woman, around her mid thirties, landed with a...sheet of somekind spread out behind her. It said 'Second tests proctor: Anko Miterashi.'

"Are you ready for the second test? Good! Follow me!" She screeched.

"You're early..." Ibiki said from behind the sheet. "...Again." A blush spread out across her cheeks.

_Damn...Anko's here..._

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**Sorry! I think this is kind of short! I'll try to make the next one longer!**


	12. Chapter 12

**grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...No one's updating their stories! You people don't understand, I need your updates! Otherwise...uhh...OTHERWISE I'LL DIE AND NO ONE WILL COME TO MY FUNERAL BECAUSE THEY"LL BE TOO BUSY CHECKING IF YOU UPDATED!! (Sob sob cry cry) ALRIGHT, spaz attack over! enjoy the story!**

"This place is where the Second Exam will take place, the 44th Training area, also known as the forest of death." Anko ever so giddily proclaimed, as we stood before a vast forest that looked big enough to house about a million Godzilla's...And maybe two or three thousand King Kong's...

...But Whatever...

"The forest..." Naruto began, pausing, and making the scene appear very dramatic, "...Of death?"

Just then, like a flash of...Well, I wouldn't say lightning because it wasn't very fast...And it sure as Hell wasn't silent...A box which looked to be made of cardboard being sloppily disguised as a rock scurried up to The three members of Team Seven, Sasuke, Naruto, and I.

Naruto glanced back curiously, but that curiosity immediately melted into a look of distaste and...it looked as if it contained a little bit of displease and disappointment. His left eyebrow began to twitch.

We had now successfully gathered the attention of everyone there. About half of which I already had since the unpleasant situation with Naruto being retarded and unbelievably loud. Their eyes only left me during the first exam, sadly enough.

Naruto began to walk away and the box followed. Then, he broke into a sprint, collecting strange glances from the people around him. The 'rock' scurried after him, little black stumps- I'm guessing they were legs- Appeared under it as it hurried after the orange clad idiot.

He finally stopped running and placed his hands on his hips, towering over the frightened looking box- Oh, I'm sorry- Frightened looking _rock._

He pointed at the box- excuse me, rock- accusingly. "Hey, Konohamaru, What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I should have expected this from the man I look up to..." The box- rock, whatever- Said in a muffled voice. "God job detecting me!"

A puff of smoke then a chorus of coughing and hacking was greeted by about a hundred baffled looks. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed three little children, Konohamaru, and his two friends.

In a fit of coughs, Konohamaru accused one of his associates, "Hey, you used too much gun powder!" Then, all three of them looked a Naruto.  


"The one who possesses the sex appeal of an adult, and the female of the senior group," One girl began. This comment of course, made me want to gag, because she, in fact, had no sex appeal whatsoever, except possibly to some random pedophile, and even they would find her quite boring. I'm not making fun or anything, because, quite frankly, I wasn't all that Hot as a kid either, but seriously...

...Egocentric much...?

"Moegi!" She introduced.

"The one who loves dividing numbers,"... Okay that was a strange introduction... "Udon!"

"And I'm the number one ninja in the village! Konohamaru!" The last introduced.

"Yeah, I already knew it was you," Naruto proclaimed uninterestedly, intertwining his fingers in the back of his head, portraying a much laid back impression. "What do you want?"

"We're on official business!" Konohamaru proclaimed.

"Yeah!" Moegi, the 'sexy' one, agreed, "We came here for an exclusive interview!" Udon nodded in agreement.

"Really, an interview?" Naruto echoed quietly.

"We're going to write a article for the academy newspaper!" Konohamaru said, in his oh-so-perfect grammar.

"Please tell us you'll do it!?" Moegi pleaded with that sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face.

"Hey! What exactly are you doing? You're holding up the exams!" Anko bellowed.

"Oh, sorry, but Konohamaru was just telling us about this interview for the academy newspaper." Naruto explained quickly.

Anko's mouth fell agape. "Oh! Right! I forget all about it! Lord Hokage told me about them interviewing me! Alright we'll have a ten minute break!"

"I thought I was the only one being interviewed!" Naruto whined.

"No Leader! But you are the most important!" Konohamaru complimented.

"Well, then I'll give you a interview that explains to your readers why I'm the best ninja ever!"

Konhamaru took Naruto away to some unknown place for his interview; his two little friends were still here. Moegi took Sasuke not too far away to interview him, and Udon was left to interview me.

There was a long unwanted silence. "Uum..Aren't you going to ask me anything?" I asked quietly He shrugged in response.

"I don't know what to ask..."

I made a small 'Ah' of understanding, and then was quiet. I turned my attention over to Sasuke and Moegi. It was so obvious she was flirting with him. I glared hard at the girl hoping my glare would make her burst into flames.

...Okay, now I know I'm going crazy. It's is just Sasuke, I don't know why I'm so mad.

"So, uhh...What's going on...?" I asked unsurely, trying to start a conversation.

"Going on with what?"

"You know...with...uhh...Life?" I stuttered in reply.

"Well..." he began. "Yesterday Konohamaru said you were hot, but knew you were off limits becuase you belong to Naruto--"

"I don't belong to anybody!" I interrupted.

"--and Moegi mentioned that She was going to find a way to Steal Sasuke away from team seven--"

"Say what?!"

"--and I think Iruka- sensei has the hotts for the other teacher...That's about i..."

I stared, mouth agape and eyes wide, "What has happened to the youth population of Konohagakure.." I asked myself quietly.

"We followed role models like you.." he responded arrogantly.

"Now listen you little, two- faced, annoying, son of a--"

"Hey! Sakura-Chan!" I half expected it to be Naruto, but no; it had to be someone else."I'll interview you 

next!"

"Hey Konohamaru..."I slurred lazily.

"So..." He began, "Are you single?"

"What the Fuck kind of question is that?"I screeched. In the corner of my eye I saw Sasuke and Moegi look at me.

Konohamaru advanced on my, his face about a few inches away from mine, a devious smile plastered on his face, a look of disgust on mine.

"You know, I'm the leader of these three, besides Naruto, of course."

"Yeah, I caught that from your little speech earlier, Could you get away from me?" I retorted rudely.

"What's going on here?" A smooth monotone voice interrupted. I ignored it.

"Cause you know, there's this little thing called personal space that doesn't seem to exist right now."

Then it finally hit me...

"Wait a minute...were you hitting on me?" I asked Konohamaru.

"N-No! I mean, you belong to Naruto, so I can't have you--"

"I don't belong to anyone!" I growled, beginning to chase after him. He started to run, and as I started running I felt a strong arm slip around my waist.

"Let go of me, Goddamn it! That little son of a--"

"Sakura..."

"--to be killed. The day I belong to anybody will be the wonderful day of Hell's first ice age!"

"Sakura..."

"The next time I see that kid I swear to God--"

"Sakura!"

"What the Hell do you--Sasuke?" I immediately cooled down at seeing the calm, collected, and slightly irritated, face of my teammate.

I laughed nervously. "Uhh...Hi?" I greeted uneasily.

"Calm down, he's just a kid, and it was just a comment."

"The little bastard was hitting on me!"

"You don't know that--"

"He asked if I was single! I'm pretty sure he was hitting on me!"He glared at me and I immediately shut up.

_...Wait a minute.._. I thought. _His...he's still holding me…_

I hastily squirmed out of his hold, tearing his death grip away from me, and stepped away slightly. He glared, silently telling me to not dare to run after Konohamaru. I sighed and looked down at my waist.

"Dear Lord, you have a really strong grip Sasuke." I grumbled, rubbing my now red waist.

"And you have a really short temper." He growled back. I glared, although it was pathetic compared to his, and stalked off towards...Somewhere else. I didn't really know where.

I was walking and slammed into the hard back of some stranger. I rubbed my nose, muttering a soft 'oww' then looked up.

"I'm so sorry--Oh shit it's you..." I mumbled. The boy in front of me, with his black clad suit and purple markings all over his face, looked over me lazily, spotted my pink hair, and immediately began glaring.

"You..."

_...Shit..._

"You're the Bitch who tried to fight me back at the village!" He yelled as he grabbed my neck, hoisting me off the ground so that our faces were level.

"Tried? Please! I nearly beat the crap out of you!" I retorted angrily.

"Yeah! Nearly!" He snapped at me.

"I would have beaten you up if our fight wasn't interrupted by Sasuke!" I growled back, obviously annoyed by his antics. I ripped his hand off of my neck and stepped back a little, rubbing my neck.

"Why don' you prove it?" He challenged, my eyes narrowed and my blood began to boil.

"Fine then, I will! You and I, right now, buddy!" I screeched getting into a fighting stance.

"We don't have time for this..." A raspy voice said from behind Kankuro. My eyes flashed angrily as I looked towards the person who had spoken out, None other than Gaara of the sand.

"You stay out of this!" I snapped without thinking. Kankuro's and Temar's eyes widened in fear as they babbled trying to explain that 'I didn't mean to.' Even with some claims of 'She's gone crazy, she doesn't know what she's talking about.'

"I do too know what I'm talking about!" I screeched, and then turned back to Gaara. "This doesn't involve you anyway, now does it?"

His eyes narrowed and the air suddenly seemed to get colder. The cork of the gourd on his back began to twist out of the guard, releasing the sand.

"Host of Shikaku..." I murmured, then said, "I don't think any deaths will do you any good..." The sand kept coming.

"...Especially when there's Anko right behind you." He turned his head to find nothing but the gates before the forest of death. I did a couple hand signs and, in a puff of smoke, teleported out of there. O course, not without sparing Kankuro a glance and a mumble of 'We'll finish this later.'

Call me a coward, call me a chicken or a scaredy cat, but no way in Hell am I going to stand up to Gaara again.

Biggest. Mistake. Of my Life.

...But seriously, Gaara was dumb as a twelve year old. What kind of idiot falls for that...Whatever. I probably would have too, but at least I admit to being a complete and utter Moron.

"Sakura, where have you been?" I thought it would have been Naruto asking that, but no, it was Sasuke.

"Since when do you care...?" I began but was interrupted by his growl of;

"Where were you?"

"Oh, you know, just...walking...ran into a few people to talk to on the way..." I shrugged indifferently. He glared at me as if to say 'I-know-that-your-lying-you-bold-faced-sociopathic-liar-of-a-bitch' but hey, not that I care.

"Anko's about to give her speech about the exam, you need to hear it, otherwise you won't know what to do." He said after he spent such a long time on his little glare-fest.  
...Well stomp on all my dreams of him actually caring. He just needed me here so we could sign in...

...Meanie...

I looked around myself and almost shuddered as I saw some bird be eaten by a giant snake in the distance.

"Man...This place is messed up." I muttered, disdain clearly heard in my voice.

"Well, you would think it would be, it is called 'The Forest of Death, and soon enough you're going to find out why.'" Anko ever so politely (not the sarcasm) pointed out. Annoyed and frustrated, Naruto put his hands on his hips and imitated Anko in an obnoxiously high pitched voice, saying;

"It is called the forest of death and soon enough you're going to find out why." He then stood up straight and looked at Anko, confidence written all over his face. "Do your worst, you're not going to scare me away!" He stomped his foot and pointed at Anko for emphasis. "I can handle anything!"

Anko smiled gleefully, "So," she began, "Looks like we got ourselves a tough guy..." He happy expression melted into a look of pure annoyance as she chucked a kunai in Naruto's direction, skinning his cheek. She then disappeared, and reappeared behind Naruto.

"You can handle this right?" she asked, "You're not afraid are you?" She grabbed his cheek and made him face her; she was, once again, smiling. "its guys like you who leave the blood all over this forest."

She pulled out yet another kunai, but instead of aiming for Naruto, she held it behind her right shoulder as a woman held out a kunai to her...With her tongue...

...Eww...

"I was just returning your knife..." The woman said quietly. The first thing I thought was...

_Shit, Stupid pedophile just had to decide to come...  
_  
Isn't that pathetic...? Well, all well._  
_

One thing was for sure that 'woman' was going to be the first one I killed.

"Well, thank you grass ninja." She thanked as she took the kunai. "You know, I only recommend you stand this close behind me, if you wish to reach a premature end."

The woman pulled away and put away her tongue. "My pardon," she apologized. "The sight of blood and your kunai in my hair..." She chuckled. "I'm afraid that I just became a little excited. I meant you no harm"

I leaned over to Sasuke, "The people here are messed up on all levels..." I whispered as he only nodded deafly.

The woman walked away as Anko called after he; "Likewise."

Naruto stuck his tongue out, no doubt trying to do what the other ninja had done. I had to refrain from sweat dropping.

"I see everyone here is pretty short-tempered." Anko concluded, "Must be something in the air...This is going to be fun!" Anko then turned and walked to the front of all the students.She then pulled something out of her jacket and announced that we would have to read over a form and sign it before we took the test. She said she needed out consent for we might not come back from this test, and she didn't want it to be her responsibility.

She passed them out and then went on to show us what the place was like. There were rivers, obviously trees, bridges and in the middle was a tall building. We would get one scroll, either heaven or earth, and we had to get the other scroll and get to the building before the five day time limit we had was up. However, we could not look at the scroll before the end of the test.

She clarified that half or less would not pass. Some just wouldn't be able to complete the mission on time, and some of us...Would most likely die.

She told us the ways we could get disqualified, they were:

1. If all three members of the team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days.

2. If a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated and cannot continue.

3. And, as mentioned before, we could not look at the scrolls before we reach the towers. And we didn't want to know what would happen if we did, apparently.

Apparently, the scroll rule was to test our integrity.  


We were ordered to sign our consent forms and exchange them at the counter, then choose a gate and wait to begin.

Anko sighed and said, "Oh, and I have just one more word of advice; Just don't die!"

We all split up to read over the forms. Sasuke sat leaning against some rock, while I took off walking, I'm not sure where Naruto went.

I was reading over the form when I heard a shrill voice. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the future reject." It said.

"Hey, Boar--I mean Ino..." I greeted giving her a curt wave. I saw her eyebrow twitch as she said;

"I would've thought you were washed out by now, your big forehead alone should have topped you out." She said smirking. I raised my eyes from the paper and replied.

"So, that's why you tried to cheat off of my paper, Ino?" She glared at me.

"Give it up Sakura! We all know you're too weak to pass this test!" She replied angrily.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, did I make you mad? Have I upset the all mighty queen Ino? I'll go request to be executed right now." I said smugly. She fumed as I walked away, picking up where I had left off on reading the paper.

We turned in out papers and received a heaven scroll. We were to go to our gate, when they opened, the test would start.

We were at gate twelve. Naruto was punching the air, yelling "Yeah! I dare you to bring it on, Ninja! I'll just send it right back, twice as hard!"

"Naruto, calm down, we don't want you to waste all your energy before the test even starts. If you do you won't be able to 'Send it ll back.'"

He popped up in front of me, "Twice as hard!" He adds, I put my palm on his forehead and pushed him away.

"Too close..." I said simply. He smiled sheepishly.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan! I won't waste any energy here!"  


"Right..." I agreed sarcastically.

The man guarding the door turned around and unlocked the door. Only a few minutes later, They opened and we were allowed inside.

"Well Alright! Here we go guys!" Naruto bellowed.

As we were walking, we heard a blood-curdling scream from somewhere in the forest. As we turned to face the noise, I had to suppress a shiver.

"I can't wait 'till we finish this..." I mumbled.

"Oh, come on!" Naruto yelled. "This isn't that bad! It'll be a piece of cake!" It was silent for a while, until Naruto turned around in a hurry. "Excuse me for a minute; I really have to...You know." He explained, turning around to face a tree.

"Naruto, don't you dare do that here!" I screamed. He looked at me, and quickly scurried off to find another spot. I shook my head in disapproval.

"He's going to get us all killed..." I murmured, burying my head in my hands.

"Knowing the dobe, he's probably going to get himself killed first..." Sasuke grumbled. I giggled and agreed.

"You train with him every day, right? How can you resist the temptation of ripping his head off...?" I asked he simply shrugged in response.

...Well...End of conversation then...Damn it.

"Whoa!" a voice yelled in amazement from behind. "That was a lot! I practically wrote my name!"

I furrowed my eyebrows as a memory came to me. It was hazy...Something about Naruto...and...

_...Damn...What was it again?_

Before I was able to finish that thought, Sasuke came up from behind Naruto and punched him square in the jaw.

"Sasuke! Why did you--Oh..." I trailed off as realization hit me, "...Woops..."

That was the fake Naruto...Man; I remember the stupidest things and the things I should remember I 

always forget...

"Whoa, Sasuke, what was that all about?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke went in for another kick, but Naruto dodged it. He tried to land another hit, but Naruto jumped up on the branch above him, of course, Sasuke followed. He kicked Naruto off the branch.

"You better watch out Sakura! I think he's gone crazy!" Naruto warned.

"Yeah right, you wish." Sasuke replied. I looked at Naruto, catching his gaze. Pulling out a kunai, I looked at Sasuke, then Naruto, a silent plan of action. Naruto nodded and smirked. As he looked away, I pulled out a second kunai knife and held them both in my right hand.

Sasuke glanced back and saw what I was doing, "Sakura, no! he--" I threw the kunai, which he easily dodged, the other kunai went straight for its target. He rushed up to where I was and pinned me to a tree.

"Sasuke! Wait!" I managed to say as his fist began to rise. We heard a thump, he glanced over at Naruto.

I smirked.

He was kneeling on the ground, his chest covered in blood and gripping his neck.

"How did--" Naruto began, but Sasuke interrupted, glancing at me, almost apologetically. Almost.

"Where's the real Naruto!?" he demanded.

"What are you talking about, I am the real Naruto!" He objected.

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?" Naruto's eyes widened. "I guess you didn't know the real Naruto got a cut on his face before this test.

"You also have your kunai holster on you left leg; the real Naruto is right handed! Your transformation skill is worse than Naruto's, tell us who you are!"

In a puff of smoke, the so called 'Naruto' turned into a strange ninja with something over his mouth, which muffled his voice slightly.

"Well, you got me, so what?" The ninja replied, "I'm still going to take your scroll, so hand it over or else--" I appeared behind him and struck him in the back of the neck with a kunai.

"You know, declaring what you going to do aren't the best Idea ever..." I mumbled, as used the last of his strength to get out of the area.  


"Shouldn't that have paralyzed him?" Sasuke asked.

I shrugged in response. "I guess I missed the pressure point..."

"Hey guys!" Naruto greeted walking out from behind a tree, the real Naruto, not a fake. I glared at him, and he gave me a confused look in return.

"What is it Sakura-Chan?" I rolled my eyes, guessing that he never knew about the copy...but seriously, how long could it take someone to go to the fucking bathroom! Whatever..

...I really got to stop saying that I'm starting to sound like Sasuke...

Sasuke ordered us to sit down. Not a polite kind either, not like the 'Please sit down, I have to talk to you.' He just looked at us then looked to the ground...then sat down. As if to say 'Sit, or else.' It was the kind of thing that if you asked why the answer would most likely be 'because I said so.'

It took about five minutes for me to realize I was the only one still standing, and the other two were staring at me like I was crazy. "What?" I asked, Sasuke glared at me.

"Sit." He commanded, I opened my mouth to object, but his glare shut me up immediately. I held my hands up by my head in a sign of giving up.

"Fine, fine..." I mumbled. "...Sourpuss..."

"If the three of us get separated, we can't trust anyone, even if they look like one of us." Sasuke declared after I had sat down. "There's a possibility that an enemy will transform into one of us and approach."

"Like that other ninja just did..." I pointed out, rather arrogantly, I must add. Sasuke glared at me.

"...Again." He added to shut me up. "Let's decide on a password."

"Password...?" Naruto echoed.

"If a different password is given, assume that he's an enemy no matter what he looks like, got it?I'm only going to say this once so listen carefully. First you ask, "The ninja song, 'Ninki'?" The answer is the following:

"It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and has his guard down. That's it." he finished.  


There was an awkward silence, before Naruto spoke up, "Could you say that again?" he asked.

"I said I was only going to say it once." Sasuke objected.

"Naruto...just try to remember all you can." I suggested.

"Hey! I remembered it perfectly! I just wanted to hear it one more time...you know, to make sure I got it right..."

"I'll keep the scroll." Sasuke said as he stood up, Naruto began to object but stopped as he yelled out an 'Ouch!' and tenderly held his cheek.

"What was--" he began to ask, but a strong wind, which almost blew us off our feet, cut him off.

The woman, the same who confronted Anko, and two of her teammates, were standing there. "You two have fun somewhere else." She commanded her associates.

"I will go alone from here."

Chills ran up and town my spine from just looking at the intruder. The long black hair, the peculiar outfit...I had to admit, this woman was pretty, but underneath all that...well...Wasn't even a woman.

We were all hiding, before Sasuke jumped out of the bushes.

"Sakura!" He greeted, sounding almost relieved Almost. I don't think he ever sounds one hundred percent something...except when he's angry...or brooding...or--

"Well...?" He asked impatiently.

"What?" I asked innocently, missing what had been said.

"The ninja song 'Ninki'?" he asked, impatiently.

"Oh! Okay...uhh..." I fumbled with words, too frightened to remember anything. "Something about hiding...and striking when the enemy is tired...Well I don't know!" I exploded. "That password's too damn long anyway! I'm too freaked out to remember it all." By now my fists were clenched and I was gritting my teeth. If he didn't believe it was me, I swear I would go ANBU Blackopp all up his ass.

"What kind of retard comes up with a password that long anyway?! How the Hell am I suppose to remember that under pressure?! Seriously, 'A freaking ninja attacking an enemy when the time is right' doesn't need to be that long! And another thing--" I began, but was cut off. Sasuke was now right in 

front of me, his hand covering my mouth.

"Okay, Sakura. I believe it's you..." He growled, then as he walked away, he mumbled something about '...Woman...Too damn loud for her own good' or something. In return., I mumbled a string of curses containing the words 'Sasuke,' 'must' rip' 'head' and 'off'...along with about...five curses in between.

To be exact, it was "Fucking retard of a bastard Sasuke, Must rip that overblown, crappy head off of his damn, body so he won't be able to shove it so far up his own ass..."

...But that's just being specific...

"Ouch!" a voice said. "Hey guys, are you okay?!"

"Wait." I ordered. "Password."

And he complied, memorizing every word and every detail of the answer. I rolled my eyes at 'Naruto's' stupidity, and Sasuke threw a kunai knife.

"What are you doing?" 'Naruto' demanded.

"This time we have someone good enough to dodge my attacks..." Sasuke stated. I rolled my eyes at the arrogance and self-pride that emitted from his voice. Thinking he was sooooo great.

...Yeah, whatever...I mean...Yeah...not whatever...I will not become Sasuke-like.

"Show your real self faker!" Sasuke commanded after his long speech of why it wasn't Naruto. So, the speech in an abridged form was, Naruto couldn't possibly have remembered the password, and couldn't have dodged the attack.

_He could have when he was fifteen..._ I thought to myself.

The so called 'Naruto' smirked devilishly.

...then licked his lips with his long, gruesome, tongue...

"Sasuke," I whispered harshly, but softly enough that the other, now to be referred to as _it,_ wouldn't hear me, "Let's get out of here...Now." But I was ignored.

"I see." _It_ said, and in a large, very large, puff of smoke, Naruto disappeared and _It_ turned into that grass ninja.

"But if you knew that he was going to forget it," she began, "Why didn't you use a shorter password?"  


"I knew you were eavesdropping in on our conversation from the ground. That's why I made a long password."

What is it with everyone and their long explanations of _everything?_

The Grass ninja removed her hat, as she looked at Sasuke and, I- mostly at Sasuke.

"I see, so you don't let your guard down," The grass ninja said. "Looks like I can have more fun than expected."

_Oh...how shit-tastic! _I thought, disdainfully.

The ninja pulled out her scroll, an earth scroll, "You want the scroll of earth, right?" she asked after a dreadfully creepy chuckle. "Since you have the scroll of heaven.

In a quick act that made me want to gag, the woman wrapped her tongue around the scroll...and swallowed it hard.

I quickly covered up my discomfort.

"Now, let's begin..." She said. "The fight over our scrolls..." She pulled down her left eyelid, my eyes widened, "By putting our lives on the line,"

"Sasuke look away!" I yelled as I shielded my eyes, but, once again, he didn't listen.

"Well..." I heard the grass ninja say, as I looked up from my arms "You've seen this technique before, haven't you...

"Sakura-chan..."

My name coming from her lips just made it seem vile and disgusting.

"No, I haven't..." I said, twirling a kunai in my hand, strictly for defense, no offense with her. "Because that is what you want to here," I clutched my kunai, "Although my sensei might disagree..." Referring to Tsunade.

She _chuckled_. That _creature _chuckled! "Good answer..." she said, before I knew it she was hoisting me off the ground by my neck, running her thumb along y jaw-line. "What a pretty little thing you are..." she said quietly, "Imagine what you would look like when you are dead...

"...Beautiful..."  


I did the first thing that came to mind...I punched her. As hard as I could, gathering chakra in my hand...I punched her. She flew back only about a foot, before flipping to land on her feet. I kneeled down, gasping for breath.

Before I could look up, I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and the back of my knees. I looked up to see Sasuke carrying me, I remembered this, and he had used pain to distract him from the fear. To be honest, disregarding all the reasons I shouldn't be thinking of this, like we have a bigger problem on our hands than my hormones, but this felt good, you know...in his arms and all...

...Wow I'm going crazy...

He put me down beside a tree, himself leaning against it, and me across from him. He was breathing heavily and the knife was still in his leg. With a swift movement of his arm, he pulled the kunai out of his leg.

I clamped my hand over his wound. He looked at me strangely. "Sasuke, just this once, don't fight back. Your just gonna keep bleeding and we need to be ready to fight her again..." I explained as I began healing his wound.

"Sasuke--" I was cut off as his hand clamped over my mouth. His hands were actually very cold and clammy...not all warm and shit like I expected them to be...

My eyes widened as I saw a gigantic snake behind Sasuke. I looked at Sasuke to see he was wide-eyed, just about looking scared to death. I clawed at his hand and made little, pathetic sounding, mewling sounds. Finally getting angry, I hit his arm and during the short period his hand was off of my mouth, I screamed "Snake!"

He turned around, and, quickly jumped off, as did I. The snake wrapped around a nearby branch, and, just as quickly, jumped after Sasuke. He threw six shiruken at it, screaming "Get away from me!"

It killed me to see him like this, he looked just about ready to blow...he looked scared.

The snake crashed down on a nearby ranch, blood leaking out of the corners of its mouth. Out of the neck of the snake, the skin began to rip. Slowly, a figured clawed its way out of the snake...The grass ninja.

"Don't let your guard down for even a second..." it said. "Prey need to strain their minds all the time, and run around...In the presence of a predator."

_We're gonna die... _A voice nagged at the back of my mind. _We're all gonna die...all of us..._

The woman stuck her tongue out and waved it sickeningly. She made a mad dash for Sasuke, twisting around the tree trunk...literally, twisting around the tree trunk.

He yelled in alarm, before a collage of kunai and shiruken struck the tree trunk, stopping the woman.

"Sorry, Sasuke!" a voice rang out,revealing Naruto. "I forgot the password." I almost smiled, but remembered the rule about not showing any emotion.

"So...What was the password again...?" he concluded, lamely.

"Shut up and help us Naruto..."

"No!" Sasuke interrupted. "Naruto, get out of here! you don't know who your dealing with!"

"So, Naruto, you escaped from my friend, did you?" The woman asked.

"What the fuck does she mean by friend?" I _meant _to think...but I kind of _said _it.

"Oh this giant snake that..." Naruto began but the woman cut him off.

"You should watch your mouth, young girl." She warned. I glared and my temper got the best of me.

"Fuck off, bitch." I hissed. She only smiled- scratch that- she smirked. As if to say 'your-so-pathetic-you-good-for-nothing.'

"Sakura!" Sasuke growled. "Don't test her temper!"

"Don't tell me what to do! You're my teammate, not my fucking sensei!" I growled right back.

"Okay, I don't know what's going on here," Naruto interrupted, "but you," he gestured to the woman, "have been picking on my friends and I don't like it. So you just better slither on back into your hole, snake-lady, before I make a pair of shoes out of you!"

I just noticed Sasuke had his sharingan on...when he turned it off. "You can have it!" He said to the 'snake-lady' as Naruto called her. "The scroll, that's what you want, right?" he asked, as he took the scroll out of his weapons pack and tossed it from hand to hand.

"Alright then, take it and leave us alone!" he commanded.

"Sasuke, no..." I began, but he cut me off with a curt 'shut up!'

"We can't just give in!" I went on, but he replied with an irritated 'stay out of it!'  


"Excellent choice, the prey must give the predator something else to distract them in order to live."

"Here! Take it!" He said as he tossed the scroll to The woman.

I was just about to take off to catch it when Naruto did it for me. "Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, "Stop trying to be the hero! Just shut up and leave it to me..." Before he could finish, Naruto turned around and punched him, sending him flying quite a bit.

"Stupid fool! You don't know what you're doing!" He yelled after he had landed on a separate branch.

There was a pregnant pause, before Naruto began talking. "I may not know the password, but I know who I Am." he said between gasps and heavy breaths. "You're the one I'm not so sure about! How do I know you're who you say you are?"

"What sort of nonsense is this?" Sasuke demanded. "It's me, you bastard!"

"Liar..." Naruto accused. "Liar! you may look just like him, you may sound just like him, but there's no way you're the Sasuke I know! I don't care how tough a fight you've been through. Surrendering, giving up the scroll...When did Sasuke become a coward?! You keep saying I don't understand what's going on but I do! You've choked, that's what it is!"

"Sad, but true..." the woman agreed, before disgustingly licking her whole face...now that I think about it...she doesn't look all that pretty right now...

"It doesn't matter..." she said, pulling up her sleeve to reveal a strange mark, "As far as the scroll goes I could simply kill you and take it!" She bit her thumb and ran a line of blood through the markings. Naruto ran foreword.

"Let's see you try it!" he yelled.

"No! Naruto! Don't!" I protested, but he kept moving. The woman summoned a giant snake and stood on top of its head. It tried to crush Naruto, but he dodged.

"Naruto! Get away from the snake! We have to think of a plan, not just blindly attack!" I yelled, but he didn't listen. "Why is everyone ignoring me Damn it?!"

The woman chuckled as Naruto landed on a nearby branch, panting.

"How cute..." She said. "What a cute prey!" The snake slapped its tail up from under the branch, sending Naruto flying through ten plus branches.

"Eat him for now." She commanded her snake. But Naruto twisted through the air, punching the snake. His eyes were red.

He began punching the snake over and over. He had gone berserk. The snake simply licked him to send him off flying. However, he kicked off of a tree, and went flying towards to woman. She lifted a single hand to her mouth, and blew a cloud of flames towards Naruto.

She mumbled something to herself, and then turned to sasuke. "Your next." she warned, "Sasuke-Kun, how will you fight?" He then rushed towards him on her snake. but he didn't seem to move. There was a crash, and a spill of blood...and there was Naruto holding back the snake, a kunai lodged in the snake's skin, Sasuke was standing in front of Naruto, looking absolutely terrified.

"You're not hurt are you...?" Naruto asked, "Scaredy-cat." mimicking What Sasuke had said so many weeks ago. "This idiot and coward I see isn't the Sasuke I know..." Naruto began.

Out of fear of just disgust i wanted so badly to just look away when the next scene played out. Naruto waslifted from the ground by the woman's insanelty long tongue.

"Why you!" Naruto screamed, "Let go!" squirming and clawing, "You snake bastard!" She brought him near her, and lifted his shirt revealing his stomach. Her fingers began to glow and eerie blue color and she thrust her hand into his stomach. A mark appeared on his stomach as his whole body stopped moving.

She took the scroll as Naruto lay limp in her grasp...in her tongue...She threw him across the forest, and as he began to fall, I chucked a kunai, pinning him to a tree nearby tree.

"What the Hell is wrong with you, Sasuke! You always think you're so amazing and so strong and look at you now! You're too scared to even fight, a poor excuse for a shinobi!" I screamed, "Naruto may be annoying and sometimes even be a nuisance in battle...but at least he's not like you, you...You coward!!"

He still didn't move, but he closed his eyes and looked away. I growled and looked towards the grass ninja.

That's it; I'm sick of being ignored and in the background like I have been this whole fight! I appeared behind the woman, and she calmly looked back at me.

"Hey!" I said, as I smiled, then punched her as hard as I could, mustering as much chakra as possible into my fist, and punched her. She went flying and rushed back to fight me. I dodged a punch and as she tried to knee me in the stomach, I fell back.

Quickly, I lifted my lower back, swinging my legs in an attempt to get her away. It worked and I flipped back up into a standing position. I got into a fighting stance and braced myself for the worst.  


Her tongue stretched out to me, and I barely managed to catch it, and began to burn it with my chakra. She quickly drew back her tongue, and, with a growl, made a mad dash for me.

I stood my ground and kneeled just a little, ready for impact...but before anything happened, a blue fabric shielded my vision. I looked up to see spiked up raven colored hair...

...It was Sasuke...

His expression; angry. His eyes told a different story, however, under th shield of the sharingan, they looked scared, frightened, worried. Although, I could see the start of anticipation, excitement, he was ready to fight. She laughed loudly from the distance she was, Sasuke must have distanced her.

"How..." she trailed off, and began to chuckle once again, "...sweet..." she taunted.

"Sasuke..." I whispered, "Be careful..." I warned, inwardly cursing myself for sounding so pathetic. He simply nodded in return, although he never did glance at me, and walked forward.

The woman muttered something to herself, then said "I will take my time to see how strong you are." getting into a fighting stance. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and placed it in his mouth. He then rushed forward leaping into the air. He threw the kunai, along with more knives and shiruken, of which she dodged by a simple jerk of her head.

He straightened his body in the air to fall faster, and threw two kicks at her. She blocked them both with her wrist, so he flipped behind her, landing only a few feet away. They both rushed towards each other.

_If I fight, Sasuke will just sher me out of the way, I'll have to wait until later, I'll have to fight That 'woman' to make sure..._it _doesn't happen... _I thought. _It can't happen..._

I watched as Sasuke threw more flawlessly preformed kicks and punches at the woman, he either blocking them or dodging them with ease.

_But I'll have to wait until later..._

Another kick, and another punch, both dodged by the woman, herself finally throwing a few back, of which Sasuke blocked.

_This is his fight..._

The woman jumped out of his view, attempting to conduct a surprise attack, which Sasuke foresaw and jumped out of the way. He did a few hand signs, blowing a whirlwind of fire at the woman. When it cleared, there was a crash, and a line of smoke, showing she was approaching Sasuke quickly. She took a 

swipe as Sasuke jumped back. Once he was a few yards back.(meters A/N-sorry, I'm American, that's my measurement).

It was as if the whole world was put on pause. They stopped moving, Sasuke in a fighting position, the woman just staring at him, looking almost hatefully at him. Or at least, that's what it seemed like, for her eyes were narrowed and her lips were pursed.

The woman threw up her arms and crashed them down on the tree branch, causing a huge gush of wind blow straight towards Sasuke. He quickly jumped out of the way, the wind reached a tree and sliced it in half. Sasuke jumped off of a tree branch and rushed towards the woman. He grabbed her from behind, spinning her upside down, and causing her to fall downward, he held on to make sure she didn't just flip away. The woman screamed out in alarm.

She hit the ground hard, at first, the only thing moving were her hands shaking, then her arms fell to the ground. Sasuke jumped away and her legs fell too. His eyes widened and I soon found out why, the woman melted into a glop of mud, it was a clone.

A barrage of knives rained down upon Sasuke, he jumped out of the way, pulling out a thread and swinging across a branch, soon to be so far away, I could barely see them...

In the distance I could see a Sasuke and the woman. Tied to a tree across form Sasuke, was the woman, looking almost pathetic, as Sasuke held the strings in his hands. He did a couple hand signs and blew a long line of fire, traveling along the strings, and hitting the woman straight on.

A blood-curdling scream filled the air as Sasuke burned the woman alive. By the time the fire had cleared, the tree was practically in ashes, and the woman's head was hanging limp, the rest of her body being held up by the strings.

"Sasuke!" I yelled as I ran forward, standing beside a heavily-breathing, tired-looking, Sasuke. "Come on, let's go, we beat him," I lied, "Let's just leave."

Across from us, the woman broke free of the strings. Pounding her fists together in a form of hand sign. "Sasu--" I trailed off as my mouth refused to move, soon my knees gave out and I fell to the ground.

"A form of paralysis...?" Sasuke muttered.

"I'm surprised you can use your sharingan so well at your age..." She said, voice now very deep, "You live up the name of Uchiha..." My eyes widened as I guessed what would happen next. I struggled to move, finding my whole body to be numb.

"I want you after all..." She...or he...said, showing her burned skin to reveal a strip of skin gone, revealing her pale skin underneath and a strange looking eye.  


"You two are definitely brothers..." She said after Sasuke let out a yell of distress, "Your eyes say that you carry more potential than Itachi."

"Who are you!?" Sasuke demanded.

"My name is Orochimaru," She replied, flipping our scroll in her hand, "If you wish to see me again, get through this exam as if your life depended on it." She began to burn the scroll.

"In other words," She, well now she's a he, I guess, continued, "You must defeat my subordinates, the three sound ninja."

I growled quietly, "We'll be trying never to see you again, we won't be trying to find you." I retorted.

"It doesn't work that way..." He chuckled, as he joined her hands in a handsign and his neck stretch out towards Sasuke.

Out of pure anger and adrenaline rush, my eyes flashed a blue and red color, and I broke free of the paralysis. How? I have no idea. I rushed forward and as her head was only a few inches (centimeters) away from Sasuke's neck...

She reached it...

I was too late...

Sasuke screamed out in pain as her teeth painfully suk into his skin. She withdrew her head slightly, and I lost my temper. I threw back my fist, and punched her.

Her neck flew off course a little and she retreated it back a little more.

I gritted my teeth as I heard Sasuke's cries of pain.

"You're way too cocky, young girl," Orochimaru began, "I would say to watch that mouth, but obviously you need to watch those actions as well..."

I glared.

"Very well," he continued. "I'll finish you off next..." He stretched out his neck towards me to attack. I jumped over his head and pounded down on his neck. He hissed in pain, sounding immensely like a snake, and drew back his neck. I jumped off and landed behind him, throwing a punch, of which he caught.

He began to twist my wrist around, but I gathered my chakra around my fist...

_time for that move..._ I thought. (A/N- refer to chapter one, it talks about that one jutsu, I know my first chapter kind of sucked, but it was in there.)

I gathered the chakra around the fist he was holding, burning the cells on her hand. He pulled back his hand to see the dry, chipped skin, the dead skin, that was already cracking and bleeding. He looked at me incredulously,

"How did you..." I cut him off by throwing another punch. Obviously he knew about the jutsu. I tried for another punch, but he caught it, I went for a punch with my left hand, and he caught that one too. He looked me in the eye, to see the pattern of blue and red.

"I see..." He muttered. Using the teaching from Tsunade, I gathered chakra in my foot and stomped down, causing the branch to crack and break in several places.

"Tsunade's technique..." I heard him mutter.

"You're a very unusual young girl..." He commented. "Part of that cult..." (the cult; gave me the soul thing, the inner) "You know those technique's...

"...Although your very troublesome to deal with."

"Troublesome?!" I exploded. "You come here, almost kill Naruto and Sasuke, bit him on the freaking neck- A hickey, that's what it's called by the way. What are you gay?- you burn our scroll, and your going to send your sound ninja after us!

"You bastard! I can't believe you have the nerve to call me troublesome, you...you..." I struggled for an insult that didn't seem too childish, "I can't even tell if your a guy or a girl you pathetic, gay, pedophile of a mother-fucking Bitch!" I scream, punching the tree he was on , causing it to crumble under my touch. I completely lost myself...and for once I couldn't car less.

My spirit- my inner, if you will- took over and almost everything became a blur. I could remember blood, fighting...and he finally got a hold of me. He gripped me by my neck and I struggled to get free.

"Not all high and mighty now, are we?" He taunted. I tried to kick his head, but he dodged it, still gripping my neck.

...The only good thing was he wasn't holding me by his tongue...

He puled back his fist and punched me in the stomach, sending me flying. I looked towards Sasuke, seeing he was unconscious, gripping his neck. I felt Orochimaru's icy cold knuckles against my neck; he 

was holding me up by my choker (The necklace).

"You seem to have quite an attachment to Sasuke-kun..." He stated,.

"Don't refer to him like that." I was ignored.

"It's a shame, really..." He continued. "Although, you really do prove to be much stronger than you appear."

He began to chuckle that evil, agonizing chuckle.

"And he seems to care deeply for you and Naruto-kun..."

I glared as hard as I could.

"You could be of some help after all..." He said as his head came dangerously close to my neck.

I did the only thing I could do...

I punched him in the head...again. He jumped back and landed on another branch, smirking.

"Fine..." he gave in, "I'll have to deal with you later..."

And he left...I couldn't figure out why He had given in so easily...but it had to be for a reason.

I ran towards Sasuke, to see he was breathing heavily and raggedly, I sighed in relief to find he was breathing at all. I stroked his cheek slightly...

...Orochimaru...

This was_ his entire_fault! _He _was the one who caused this! Now Sasuke's bitten, He's going to leave, Konoha, he's going to never come back, and he's going to come after me when I'm in my twenties, all because of stupid _Orochimaru!_

I held back the tears as I dragged Sasuke to a shelter, fetched Naruto, and laid them down beside each other.

_This is where I began to see my life crumble before my eyes..._

**Whoa!! That was really lame...Whatever! I hope you liked it anyway! Poor Sakura... (Sigh) Well, I hope Orochimaru didn't seem like TOO much of a Pansy or anything...Review please!**  
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	13. Chapter 13

**Woohoo! Updates are SO much fun! I hope you like this chapter…and I hope it's not too short or anything. I'm sure it will be but…I'll make the next chapter longer! I promise! I hope you enjoy reading this!**

I held my breath as I watched their two nearly motionless bodies, the only movement being when their chests would heave up and down from their deep, even, breaths. They were unconscious after all what would you expect...?

Every time I would see a twitch of the eye, or a movement of the arm, my breath would halt and my movements would become rushed and excited, only to find it was a slight movement in sleep, nothing more. There was no noise except for the breathing of the two lying in front of me and my own heart beating in my chest, so loud, that I _swore_ they could hear it. I was nervous; I was, though I _hate_ to admit it, scared.

Of course if they ever found that out I would never live it down, from Sasuke at least...

...Naruto would forget about it in an hour flat.

Slowly, I switched the towel on Naruto's head with a crisp, cool one. I couldn't let myself fall asleep like the last life, for that dream, that horrible, _horrible_ dream, was sure to come. So, I kept myself busy with food, care for Sasuke and Naruto, and even small trivialities in my head that I _really_ didn't need to trouble myself with.

Sighing heavily, I quietly commenced my hourly checkup of Sasuke and Naruto. Even though it was supposed to be every hour, hence the word 'hourly I really checked up on them every five to ten minutes.

But only because I was worried! I just...didn't want them dying on me or anything...

...That would suck...A lot...

I began poking and prodding Portions of Sasuke's abdomen, checking for any bruises, cuts, anything that was beginning to swell, etcetera. He had many cuts and small wounds, but they were healing slowly, so it didn't look like anything hazardous would become of them, thank God.

He even had many bruises, but that was a good thing. As long as it didn't begin to swell, it's a sign that the body is going to fix the problem itself and that we don't need to put him in a cast or anything.

Naruto was a completely different story; I realized this as I began checking up on him. Now, he wasn't terribly injured or anything, don't get me wrong! Well, he was... But he heals each wound in about five minutes. At incredibly fast speeds, he was getting better.

...Sasuke wouldn't see kindly to this. He's get all jealous and think Naruto's better than him, so...I better keep this a secret between me and...Well, me.

Sighing heavily, I stepped out of the hollow tree I had found or a shelter, and scanned the area. It didn't look like anything was here. It looked almost safe. In fact, it would look safe enough for a two year old if it wasn't for the fact that it's called the 'Forest of Death', and it has humungo trees that look like they could come to life at any moment and eat you..

...I have quite the imagination, as you can tell...

I walked back under the tree, where it was hollow, and sat down by Sasuke, replacing the towel on his head with a cool one. I began to feel drowsy.

I shook my head, knowing I couldn't fall asleep. I glanced at Sasuke and Naruto to see they were sleeping peacefully, and then I looked towards the night sky. It was almost completely covered by the trees, but there was a space where you could see the bright starry sky. I sighed dreamily...that's the last thing I remember...

--

My eyes fluttered open as I saw the bright, sun-lit sky. I snapped my eyes open as I looked towards Naruto and Sasuke, relieved to find they were okay, but devastated to find they still hadn't woken up. Soon, my eyes fell upon Sasuke.

He was sound asleep, looking almost like an innocent child. His features were now soft, unlike how they usually were, stony and fierce. The way the light shone upon him lit up his face, making him look...Angelic...

...Damn, why does he have to be so hot...?

I smiled slightly at the thought. Hot, that's how everyone describes him...girls at least. I actually haven't heard any guys say that.

I wanted to go back to sleep, but knew I had to get up. So, after putting a new crisp towel on each of their foreheads, I, begrudgingly, trudged out of the shelter, scanning the area.

I sighed as I began turning around, but, hearing a rustling in the bushes, I froze. Upon hearing this, I pulled out a kunai and swiftly threw it at the cause as it crawled out, it turned out to be a squirrel. The kunai landed just in front of the creature as it turned to run away in a fright.

I sat down by the two bodies hidden (slightly) under the tree and began to breath easier. They were safe now, that's all that mattered at the moment. My eyes began to droop.  


"Some lookout, you're half asleep." A voice seethed from behind.

Crap...

I turned to find the three ninja from the sound village.

Double crap...

"At least you don't have to keep watch anymore," the one covered in bandages said, "After all, what's the point when we've already found you...? Now wake Sasuke up! We want to fight him."

Holy crap...

"I'm afraid I can't do that," I said feigning bravery as I stood up.

"And why not?" The man asked.

"Because..." I drawled, nonchalantly, "He's kind of unconscious; he can't just 'wake up.'" There was silence. "And besides, what kind of coward wants to fight someone when they can't defend themselves...?-Oh! That's right, you do." I added.

"Hey! I can't stay quiet after hearing you talk to us that way." One with spiked up hair said, "First, I'm going to kill this girl, then, I'm going to kill Sasuke."

I pursed my lips together. "Hey, how do you know his name...?" I asked, then remembered. "Oh, Shit, your working for Orochimaru..." I mumbled then whispered quietly, "I probably shouldn't have called him a gay pedophile..."

"Yes," The one in bandages agreed- with the spikey-hair-man, not me- "Let's kill her." They all then leaped towards me.

You know...now that I think of it, I probably should have set a trap of some kind... Wow, I'm retarded...

In my stupor, i failed to realize the trio heading straight for me with a goal of skinning me alive.

"Leaf hurricane!" A voice rang out, and, out of nowhere, Rock Lee showed up.

"Who are you," The man with bandages demanded. Rock Lee, in all his glory, got into a fighting stance and declared;

"I am the handsome devil of the Leaf village, Rock Lee!"

The squirrel on his right shoulder made a cute little noise.

"Lee," I whispered harshly as I scurried up to him "Lee, I think you should leave." he looked at me strangely.

"But I came here to protect my cherry blossom." he objected, as I blushed lightly.

"Lee, I really don't think you should be here..." I was cut off by the man in bandages.

"The girl wants you to leave; I suggest you pay heed to her wishes."

Lee pushed me back lightly, "Stay back, Sakura, I will handle this." He stepped forward and got into a fighting stance.

"Lee! You're going to die!" I scream.

"She's right, boy listen to the girl. If you leave now, maybe we'll let you live." The man said, but his comment seemed not to be heard by Lee.

"Have faith in me Sakura..." He pleaded. "I said I will protect you until I die..."

I gulped and stepped back, "Fine..." I mumble in defeat.

--

"Lee..." I gasped as he fell to his knees. He had been doing so well! He had even almost killed the man in bandages, apparently named Dosu, but The spikey-hair-man, called Zaku, broke the fall using something in his hands to soften the ground. Lee had used the technique Sasuke used once with Orochimaru, when you slam their heads in the ground.

"Your jutsu's are fast but our jutsus are faster for they travel at the speed of sound." Dosu mocked, as Lee threw up. Not even a few seconds later, his eyes widened and blood began to drip from his ear. Oh, how I wanted to interfere, but Lee's words rang through my head each time I began to formulate a plan...

_'Please, trust me Sakura; I will protect you until I die...'_

Oh, how I hoped he wouldn't have to go that far...

"Oh, I forgot to mention this little gadget," Dosu pointed out as he lifted his arm to show a strange object on his wrist. "You might be able to dodge my close, but you can't get away from this." He began to laugh. "I don't need to strike you with my fists... I can hit you with the power of sound!"  


"What makes it possible for the ear to hear things? What is sound?" Dosu questioned.

"Vibrations..." I murmured in reply.

"Well, give the little Lady a prize. Yes, the vibration of molecules in the air creates a sound wave." He explained."These vibrations are collected by the ear. Then directed through your outer ear canal to you ear drum. The rest is Anatomy.  
"what interest me are the organs of your inner ear. The ones that control your sense of balance, your ability to move. Feeling a little dizzy? Nauseous?" He asked. "That's right; you may not even want to try to stand up for a while."

"Yeah" Zaku added, "You see, that tai-jutsu stuff won't work against us. Not that your not good at it or anything, it's just, it's useless against us." he pulled his hands out of the ground, which he had in there since he helped Dosu, and said, "See, I can manipulate ultra-sonic waves and air pressure. I can do things you won't even dream of.

"Face it, kid, you're dealing with the jutsu of the future."

Before I knew it, they all had sprung into action, Dosu rushing towards me, as I flicked out a kunai for defense. But, right before impact, Lee jumped in the way.

"Lee! No!" I objected, as he attempted to do leaf hurricane. Dosu stopped him and hit him with his contraption on his wrist, causing Lee's eyes to widen.

"Lee!" I screamed, as he fell limp to the ground.

"Okay little man, it's time to end this..." Dosu said, as he lifted his arm.

"I don't think so!" I screeched, appearing behind him, attempting to stab him with a kunai. He turned and blocked the move, so that my kunai hit one the holes in his arm gadget thing.

"Oh, I had almost forgotten about you." He drawled. He took a swipe at me, which I dodged.

Okay, I thought, With this guy, I probably have to focus mostly on dodging, no defense and not too much offense, I have to..

I was cut off by a hand gripping my hair and pulling me back.

"Well, what soft and shiny hair. But if you spent a little less time shampooing, and a little more time practicing your jutsu, you might be able to get out of this." The girl, I believe her name was Kin, said.

"Yeah," I agreed, gathering chakra around my hand, "I could..."

"I've got an idea, let's make beauty queen watch while we kill that Sasuke kid." She suggested. I growled in response.

"No, let's not!" I said as I gripped her wrist, just as I did she screamed out in pain. I didn't let go at first, regardless of writhing and screaming. When I finally let go, my hand, along with her whole wrist and hand, was drenched in blood. I leaped away slightly.

"How's that?" I asked, "Good enough jutsu for you?" She growled.

"Why you little...Zaku, get her!" she ordered. My eyes widened as I gasped slightly, looking behind me I saw Zaku rushing up from behind me. I turned around and as he tried to punch me, I dodged, and then used his wrist to flip myself over him.

I turned and kicked him in the back. He flipped forward and turned around to face me just as I threw a few kunai at him. He crossed his arms together and used his jutsu to blow the kunai the other way, towards me. I blocked as best as I could, but some cut the bare flesh of my shoulders and face.

I felt a presence behind me and quickly turned around. Just as I caught sight of who it was, Zaku, I felt something hard come into contact with my jaw. I flew back quite a bit before regaining my sense and landing gracefully on a tree branch.

I grabbed a handful of my hair. "You think I care about this?" I demanded. "I couldn't care less about my appearance at the time, or at any time, when it comes to training!" I looked at my hair disdainfully. "This is nothing but trouble anyway..." I said as I lifted a kunai to my long pink locks, and sliced it across, so that my hair was now only to the base of my neck. I dashed down in front of Kin, and held out the locks as the wind began to blow, so that they all blew towards her.

Before I knew it, I was knocked to the ground. Zaku had started a brawl with me again. Currently, we were rolling around on the forest floor throwing punches and kicks at each other. I rolled him over and pinned him down with my knees as I took a few swipes at his head, which he dodged. He flipped my behind him and did a backwards somersault so that he was over me. He tried to punch me, but I dodged all of them, except for the last one. Then my reflexes kicked in and my fist flew straight for his face, getting a direct hit.

I expected another hit as I was recovering, but nothing came. I opened my eyes to see three familiar figures standing in front of me. Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were all in front of me, protecting me. Ino looked back at me.

"You didn't think I was going to let you have all the attention, did you?" She asked. I smirked in reply. By now, I had numerous scratches and bruises on my face, and I could feel that. I swallowed hard and 

wiped the blood from my face.

Chouji began to beg to leave, but Shikamaru was holding his scarf, so Chouji couldn't go anywhere.

"Ino!" I called, she glanced back at me, "Thanks..."

...There was no reponce but, I think I saw a small smile, "Well, I swore I'd never let you show me up..." She said after a while.

Chouji was about to run away, but when Zaku went far enough to call him a 'Fat-ass' he was ready to fight.

For once throughout this exam, I had hope everything was going to be okay...

--

Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji preformed their techniques with flawless teamwork, although, in the end, they had some trouble. When Ino took over Kin's body and threatened to kill her, they didn't seem to care.

One thing's for sure, Kin's going to be pissed as Hell when she's free of Ino's jutsu.

"It looks like you used our teammate as a punching bag..." Neji, whom had shown up not too long ago, pointed out, referring to Lee, "And no one does that and gets away with it!" He yelled, activating his byakugan.

As I was marveling at how amazingly cool Neji was being at the moment, I sensed as strong chakra next to me.

I looked up and saw the most frightening thing I had ever seen...

Sasuke was awake...

...And his curse-mark was activated...

His appearance, usually alluring and mysterious, was now absolutely terrifying. His body was practically hidden by the shadows, so you couldn't see any pronounced features. But, from what you could see...

...It scared me to death...

The whole left side of his face was covered in strange markings that were currently glowing red. He was hunched over, his legs spread apart and his arms, dangling loosely from his torso. His head was bowed, 

so you couldn't see his face at all. The strangest thing was he had a strange purple aura about him, it was chakra.

"Sasuke..." I murmured fearfully, I hadn't realized He had the attention of everyone in the clearing at the moment. He had now stepped out from the shadows, showing his face, which looked absolutely furious at the moment. The purple chakra swirled around him.

"Sakura, who did this to you...?" He demanded, staring intently at me from the corner of his eye. "Who was it?!" He growled when I failed to reply.

"Sasuke, What...What...Are...you...?" I stuttered, my sentences broken and ill formed from the fright.

"Don't worry, I'm all right." He assured, but the nagging voice in the back of my head assured me he wasn't. "It's just the power flowing through me, in fact, I've never felt better. He gave me this gift," he said, referring to Orochimaru, "And he made me understand what I am, I'm an avenger...

"To follow my path, I must have power, at any price, even if it means being consumed by evil."

"Sasuke!" I growled angrily, "That's not right! You can't just give into..."

"Sakura, Tell me." He interrupted, "Which one of these bastards did this to you."

"That'd be me..." Zaku declared Sasuke's crimson glare immediately locked itself on Zaku.

"Sasuke, please, don't..." I pleaded as he turned towards Zaku, but he paid me no heed. I heard Shikamaru calling Ino to come back to her body before she got caught up in this scrap.

Sasuke had a full-fledged glare on as he stared down Zaku, and as his curse mark stretched across his entire body.

"Dosu! What's wrong, you don't have cold feet do you?" Zaku asked as he clapped his hands together.

"Zaku, No! We can't fight this!"

"Watch this," Zaku continued, ignoring Dosu's outburst, "I'll take care of the bunch of 'em in one fair swoop!"

He held his hands out, "Supersonic splicing wave!" He declared as a huge gust of wind came from his palms.

After his jutsu, when it cleared, he didn't see us anywhere. "Well, what do you know; I blew 'em all away..." He declared, sounding immensely proud of himself.  


"Not quite..." Sasuke said from behind, as he threw out his arm, sending Zaku flying. Zaku doubled over and began coughing hard. Sasuke began to do different hand signs just as Zaku raised his head.

"Fire style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!" He proclaimed as five bursts of fire came out of his mouth arranged in a circle, all headed straight for Zaku and Dosu.

Zaku held his hands out and tried to blow the fireballs out. He succeeded, only to find shiruken were hidden in the fire, he was hit dead on.

"Zaku! Watch out!" Dosu warned, but he was too late. Sasuke appeared beside Zaku. He pulled Zaku's arms back and placed his foot on his back.

"Sasuke! Stop, Please!" I begged, but my pleads went unheard.

"You seem to be very proud of these arms of yours," Sasuke began, pushing Zaku forward then pulling him back a few times. Zaku's eyes were wide as saucers, fear etched into his features. "You must be very attached to them." He growled as he began to push Zaku forward, pulling back his arms.

"No!" Zaku protested, "What are you doing?!"

By now Sasuke's face was twisted into such unimaginable evil, it was unbelievable. His eyes were wide and had such a wicked smile plastered on his face. He pushed him down further, pulling his arms back more.

"Sasuke!" I screeched, my voice hoarse from fear (and from yelling too much). "Stop!"

There was a sickening crack and a blood-curdling scream from Zaku, before Sasuke dropped him to the ground. I wanted to run up and stop him, but my legs seemed to be numb, and me knees only sunk deeper into the grass.

Sasuke turned towards Dosu, the same expression on his face, "Looks like you're the only one left..." He said. "I hope you make things more interesting than your friend did."

Dosu began to cower in fear, as Sasuke started to walk towards him. I couldn't take it anymore. I know death, I know it well, but this was too much; to see a _teammate_, of all people, killing everyone mercilessly. It was...It was so...

...It was the worst punishment I could ever imagine, to watch your teammate slowly but surely become _evil_.

I couldn't take it. I couldn't just watch this. Finally freeing myself from my stupor, I lunged myself 

towards Sasuke. Throwing my arms around him in a last resort, the same thing I had done last life. I hooked my hands together over his abdomen as I kept my arms wrapped tightly around him torso. His crimson gaze locked on my emerald one.

"Please, Sasuke, No more," I begged as the marks over his body began to glow red. "No more pain, no more death..." I sobbed a little and the marks slowly receded up his arms and across his face. "At least..." The marks crowded around the bruise on his neck, "Not now..." They began to disappear into the bruise "Please..." I sobbed.

He fell back into a sitting position, breathing heavily. I had y arm around his shoulders, my hand on his forearm.

"You're strong, Sasuke," Dosu proclaimed, as he held out an earth scroll to us. "Too strong. We can't hope to defeat you as you are now." he placed the scroll on the ground."We'll strike a deal, I give you this scroll, and you let us go." He walked away, picking up Zaku.

"It seems we have underestimated you. But at least we found out what we needed to know..." He picked up Kin, "For the moment, we're even. But if it should happen that we ever meet again in combat I promise you, we won't run or hide." He began to walk away.

"Wait!" I called, as he turned slightly, "Why did he choose Sasuke?" I demanded, although already having a pretty damn good idea.

"I don't know...But what I do know is..." He turned to leave again. "...Sasuke isn't the only one he has his eye on..." My eyes widened and I began to shake slightly.

Oh crap...Did he mean...

...Me...?

**Okaaayyy…Well, I hope you liked that. I know it was kind of short, But I'll make it longer next time! Thanks to all my loyal readers! Please review! I try to reply to everyone who reviews to me! Also, if you want to talk, PM me! I'll PM back promise! I like talking! I like talking a lot!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Finally an update! I'm so sorry I took forever to update, really I am! But, here it is! I hope you like it!**

After a very disturbing scream filled my ears, I was knocked out of my stupor and slowly turned around to meet the strange, yet very satisfying, scene of Naruto, gripping his head in pain, and Chouji, a stick in hand...

Why he did that, I have no idea, probably to wake him up. But all I can say is...yay Chouji!!

I took a few deep, deep breathes as I gripped the top of my shirt, tugging it up a bit, nervously (A/N-remember, she has a strapless top). I turned slightly to glare at Sasuke. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"You scared the holy living crap outta' me, God! I had to result to hugging you because I couldn't think straight!" I whispered harshly.

He smirked slightly, "So, you were worried."

I paled, "No!" I objected, "Then-but-you-and...Ugh! You were about to kill a man for God's sake!"

"A man that tried to kill you..." He objected, a scowl on his face.

"No, you took care of him first..." I whispered as I ran a finger gently across a scratch on my face. Sasuke looked at me.

"Does it hurt...?" He asked, quietly, sounding almost concerned. I gave him a confused look as he pointed to my face. "Whatever that bastard did to you, does it hurt?" He repeated.

"Well, no I..." My eyes flickered towards his face as a smirk began to grace my features, "Ohhh...I get it..."

"What...?" he asked irritably, rolling his eyes.

"You actually are worried about me, I mean, you really care."

There was another roll of the eyes, "Well, of course, you're my teammate, I kind of have to."

"No," I declared, pointing at him and jabbing the air in front of him, "I mean, like, the kind of lovey-dovey, crushy, girlfriends-ish way..."

He looked at me strangely, "In your dreams..." He said curtly.

I laughed slightly as I nudged him in the arm. "You know you love me! You could never live without me." I said teasingly. He smirked slightly.

"No." He said, simply. "I could live fine without you."

"Well you're mean..." I pouted, and as I was about to protest, until the trio of complete idiots form behind us rushed up.

"Sakura-Chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked, worriedly. I nodded slightly, smiling up at him, as he helped me up. Chouji and Shikamaru helped Sasuke up. I stuck my tongue childishly at Sasuke, before turning and, assuring Naruto I could walk, by myself, stalked over to the 'shelter' and looked for my pack. I heard footsteps from behind me, and turned to meet Ino's gaze.

"Uhh...hi?" I greeted uneasily.

"Hey, how about I help you with your hair, you know, cutting straight it and everything?" She offered kindly.

"Oh, sure, could you get the back for me, I'll get the front." I said, smiling, looking just as fake as she did.

"I know you're only doing this to look good in front of Sasuke..." I smirked.

"He's mine you hear?" She growled, as I continued to chop off my bangs so that they fell neatly in front of my right eye. "Don't think you're going to get away with that hug you gave him."

"Don't mess with me." I growled, turning to meet her gaze, smiling as innocently as possible since I was now facing the group, who were currently waiting behind her, slightly in the distance. "Because you will regret it. I have no personal attachment to you and will not hesitate to kill you if you piss me off, you hear?" I cocked my head innocently. Her mouth fell agape slightly as her eyes widened.

"Good!" I laughed, closing my eyes and smiling happily.

Hah, I can be evil too, Bitch. Rawr.

I turned around and began to finish up my hair. It was neatly displayed to fall straight, except for the ends, which curved in ever so slightly. It reached the base of my neck, and the bangs, as mentioned before, fell in front of my right eye. I had skillfully cut clean looking layers in my hair.

Hey! I like my hair to look good, ninja or not. You know, good as in I don't have to spend time doing useless crap when I could be training, only to have it ruined later. I would rather have it look nice when I do nothing...Yeah that sounds good to me!

I turned to see Neji and Tenten had joined us. They must have appeared during my 'Ino-your-a-bitch' speech...Okay, that wasn't exactly the speech, but that was the implied statement.

I jogged over to a very concerned looking Ino, along with a stoic looking Neji, and a completely out-of-it Lee.

"Lee!" I exclaimed worriedly. He looked up at me. I smiled slightly, before Love for a friend took over and I threw my arms out to give him a hug. He seemed to freeze up, and I pulled back, putting my hands on his shoulder, looking him in the eye.

"Never. Scare me. Like that. Again. Okay?" I demanded as I smiled, and pulled him in for another hug, of which he slowly hugged me back. I pulled away and sat down.

"Hey, don't I get a hug?!" A loud voice rang out. I looked back to see Naruto.

"What did you do?" I demanded.

"Well--I--umm...Uhh--nevermind..." He stuttered. I smiled gleefully and rolled my eyes.

"Come here!" I laughed as I hugged him too.

Wow...such a touching reunion...

..God, I'm too sappy for a ninja. It's like I'm freaking thirteen all over again...

..Cause...I am...

..Oh yeah...

--

We were waiting. Waiting for nothing , just the healing of chakra...Waiting sucks ass...

I sighed heavily. Our team was waiting to replenish our chakra and crap before we left; I thought it was bull crap, but whatever...that's just me.

"Sakura, would you get off your ass and actually help us get find some food?" Sasuke demanded.

I scrunched my nose up in confusion, "Naruto's not getting anything..."

"Well," He replied, "Naruto's a dobe, he'll probably find us something poisonous."

"Well, how do you know I won't find us something poisonous?" I demanded. He looked at me strangely.

"Are you calling yourself stupid?" He asked.

"If I say yes," I drawled, "Will I be able to skip the 'looking for food' part."

"No" he glared, as I pouted, which made him roll his eyes.

"Why do you do that?" he asked.

"What?"

"That. You always pout when you don't get what you want."

"It's just a habit" I clarified.

He looked at me skeptically, "It's not a good habit to get into."

"Well, what do you know?! You have the habit of being totally and completely unbearably difficult!" I retorted.

"And you have the habit of being so terribly short-tempered you're willing to beat up a seven year old!" He said. Just as Naruto finally gained consciousness (he had fallen asleep) and joined our conversation.

"I have an excuse! He was hitting on me!" I replied, "Everyone hates him anyway!"

"Whoa, Sakura-Chan, you actually beat up a kid?!" Naruto exclaimed. I growled in annoyance.

"No! I mean-It was Konohamaru!"

"Oh, well, that makes sense then..." He drawled, lying back down, most likely to fall asleep...again...

I picked up a mound of dirt and threw it at his face, "Wake up!" I ordered. He began to sputter and gag as if he was chocking.

"Ugh! Sakura-Chan! You got dirt in my mouth!" He screamed, standing up to advance on me.

"Excuse me...?" A boy's voice cut in. I looked up to see the face of a boy, about our age, if not older. He was fairly tall, and thin, but not lanky. He had light brown hair, with blonde highlights, and stunningly bright blue eyes. His skin was tanned, and his clothing was plain. A simple shirt and shorts, with sandals and his fore-head protector.

..Which reminds me... I need to put my fore-head protector back on...

"I'm sorry to interrupt..." His voice was surprisingly deep, suave. He noticeably flinched, and I looked to see Sasuke in a fighting position. "Oh! I'm not here to fight! I have the same scroll as you guys! I just need some help..." he admitted.

_How did he know what our scroll was? It couldn't be because he was following us, since we have both now…_ I thought.

What is it you need?" I asked, keeping my guard up, but not blowing him off all the way.

"Look," he said, pulling his scroll out. Sure enough it was the same as ours, no use for fighting. "I need help getting to the tower..."

"This challenge is about survival, you don't get help from an enemy." Naruto yelled, sounding surprisingly witty.

"Actually, since he has the same scroll as us, that technically makes him our ally..."

Never mind, Sasuke always knows how to make Naruto seem like an idiot. The boy smiled.

"My name's Ryota, so are you going to help?"

"Wait," I spoke, he turned his gaze unto me, and strangely raised his eyebrows, as if in interest...

..But he didn't seem as interested as that when Sasuke-ku-I mean Sasuke-or Naruto spoke...

"You're supposed to work with your teammates, what happened to yours?"I demanded, his mood darkened, though he never took his eyes off of me.

..Creepy...

"They...were killed. I was able to heal myself, but when I tried to heal them, it was too late..." My eyes widened as I lifted a hand to my mouth.

"I'm sorry..." I said, his mood brightened up immediately, "Oh, don't worry about it, Miss..." he trailed off questionably.

"Sakura." I answered.

He smiled, "Please, I just need help getting to the tower, and then I'll leave you." Sasuke glared at him, as Naruto simply looked clueless. I sighed slightly, turning my chin up slightly to look at the boy, Ryota, better.

"Okay, but no funny business. Don't underestimate us, we will kill you."I said quietly, the boy smiled widely.

"Of course!" he agreed, "Thank you so much!" Sasuke turned to me, glaring hard, as he advanced on me. I was still in a sitting position, though that changed as he yanked me up into a standing position. My face was barely an inch away from his.

"What do you think you're doing? We can't just help him, what if he's an enemy?" He hissed.

"Well then keep your guard up; keep an eye on him, because what if he's not? What if he's an ally? We can't just leave him behind." I argued, locking my gaze with his. He glared for a while before letting go of my arm (which he still had a hold on from pulling me up) and stalked off to find food.

I smirked in victory.

--

We had eaten, with Ryota, though he didn't talk much, probably sensing he annoyed Sasuke. It was strange, though, he sat very uncomfortably close to me throughout the meal.

But whatever…

We were set off toward the tower. It was completely silent, we were all practically ignoring each other. Sasuke was glaring ahead of him at nothing, Naruto was absent mindedly kicking a stray rock, I was...well you know, thinking, the thing I do too much. Ryota was...

..Well, Ryota was staring at me, Smirking at random times. He was slightly behind me, but I could still see him in the corner of my eye..

He was creepy.

And I mean _creepy_, creepy.

"Sakura-Chan..." a voice called, I half expected it to be Naruto but no, it was Ryota. "Are your friends always this quiet?"

My 'friends' were a little ways ahead of us, so they probably couldn't hear us. He was talking pretty quietly, as well. "Well," I said, "Not usually, I mean, Sasuke is, but Naruto usually doesn't know when to shut up. Then usually Sasuke tells him to shut up, then Naruto gets angry, and they get into a fight...So no, actually, they're usually pretty annoying."

He smiled lightly, looking at me. "Can they hear us from here; they don't seem to be responding..."

"I doubt they can hear, why?" I asked, turning toward him slightly.

"Just curious..." he said quietly, looking me in the eye, "You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen..." he stated. I blushed profusely and looked away quickly. He chuckled lightly, "You look cute when you're flustered," he said, looking forward again.

"Th-thank you..." I mumbled. I felt a light sensation on the side of my head, I looked back to see Ryota fingering my hair,

"Is your hair natural?" he asked, studying the strand of hair carefully.

"Well, yeah it..." I began, but was interrupted.

"Would you two hurry up?" a voice seethed. It was Sasuke, but seemed very irate for the usual calm Sasuke.

Again, silence fell upon us; Ryota and I had caught up to Sasuke and Naruto, and were now quiet. We walked like that for a good half hour, before Ryota finally decided to speak.

"I'm sorry if I'm causing a disturbance to any of you. Sakura-Chan and I were speaking and she told me you..."

"It's astounding how quickly you two bonded..." Sasuke hissed, ignoring Ryota who was still talking.

"You mean me and Ryota? Yeah, well, we didn't really much..." I mumbled in response. Ryota and Naruto were now engaged in a conversation, more like an argument, but whatever.

"It seemed like it, or at least he seemed to warm up to you..." he growled, glaring at Ryota. I rolled my eyes, frowning.

"Whatever, Sasuke-k--" I caught my mistake, quickly covering it up; "...Could you be any more paranoid?"

"Yes," Sasuke deadpanned, "I could of killed him by now out of 'paranoia'…In fact, that doesn't seem like too bad of an idea…" he mumbled.

"No." I growled in response. He only ignored me, keeping his glare fixed on Ryota. I sighed…

Today would be a long day…

**I hope you liked it! I know it's not very long for such a long wait. Sorry! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Yay updates!! **

It had been going on like this for at least half an hour.

"Would you stop that?"

Every time one sound would come out of his mouth, he would be cut off by _him._..

"Stop what?"

I mean, really, did they have nothing better to do than argue about something as petty as this?

"Flirting with my teammate..."

Wait, was this about me?

"I'm not flirting; I'm making casual conversation with her."

Yeah, it was! They were talking about me this whole time...?

"And yet I find her blushing every time I look at you two..."

...Does that mean I called myself 'petty?'

"I fail to see the problem with that..."

So, they were arguing about...me?

"The problem--"

"Shut up! Both of you!" I screamed, looking up at the culprits of my annoyance. Sasuke and Ryota, for the umpteenth time, were arguing...

And I just realized they were arguing about me--Wait, why the Hell was Sasuke Arguing about me with Ryota? I mean, he must have had a reason, he started the argument after all.

"Sasuke, can I talk with you for a moment?" I asked, before grabbing his upper arm and dragging him back slightly, "good."

I glared at him, while he simply gave me a cold look of indifference. "What is up with you?" I seethed; making sure my voice was quiet enough so that Ryota and Naruto didn't hear.

Not that they would have been able to, they were currently arguing...

Dear God...

"What do you mean?" He questioned, nonchalantly, staring down at me. refused to look into his eyes, and instead focusing on different objects we would pass by in the forest.

"Why are you always arguing with him? And about me, no less!" I hissed, letting go of his arm to flail my arms violently.

"I don't understand you at all! One minute you act as if you hate me, next you're acting like an over-protective boy-friend, and--" He cut me off by grabbing both my arms--which were both still flailing as I was talking--and held them down by my sides.

"Sakura," He began, "Shut up."

My mouth fell agape as I stared at him, 'shut up?' that's all he had to say? Damn it, What the Hell is wrong with him!

"What?" I whispered harshly, finally mustering up the courage--of the stupidity, considering I always melted when I looked into his eyes--and glaring as best I could.

"He just gets on my nerves, you need to stop worrying." he whispered, letting go of me and turning to catch up with the group.

"Just... Just don't argue with him anymore!" I called after him...

...he ignored me...

Damn Bastard.

--

"So, Sakura-Chan," he drawled, using the unfamiliar suffix of -Chan, "This is really your first time at the chunin exams? You're...how old are you?"

"Thirteen, Ryota."

"Really? You seem older..."

"How so...?" I asked, turning slightly to face him as we continued walking.

"Well, you act older, and you're stronger..."

"You've seen me fight...?" I question, looking at him strangely. He shook his head 'no' and simply replied;

"I have not, but I see great potential in you, as well as a strong spirit. That usually isn't in first timers..."

I laughed slightly. This certainly wasn't my first time in the chunin exam, but it might as well have been. I didn't change a thing, not one. Freaking. Thing.

My 'turmoil' must have shown on my face, since Ryota seemed to get upset. He began apologizing frantically, causing Sasuke to glare back threateningly.

...Jeeze...Over-protective, but why the Hell _would_ he be...?

"Sakura-Chan? I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to--"

"What did you do this time?" A cold voice intervened; I turned to see Sasuke glaring at Ryota from my other side.

"Uchiha-San, I was talking to Sakura, I believe, not you."

"She's my teammate, whatever you say to her that would cause her discomfort, I deserve to know as well."

"Oh, Poor baby, for once you're not getting everything you want." Ryota taunted. My eyes widened as Sasuke's narrowed.

Oh Shit.

"You seem to be acting rather unconventional to someone who's helping you." He seethed, leaning in slightly towards Ryota, of who did the same.

"You're barely helping, only arguning with me all the time. You wouldn't have even considered helping me if it weren't for Sakura-Chan."

"What's with the formalities and the compliments, you've known her for about an hour!" He hissed. Their faces were currently right in front of mine; you could practically see the electricity from the glares.

"You always seem to gravitate the conversation towards her, don't you?"

"You brought her up!" Sasuke said in defense.

"Well--"

"How many times do I have to shut you two up! Do I have to separate you two? Because I'd prefer not to have to treat you like five year olds!" I screeched. Both of them turned to face me, before instantly stepping back considering they were both so close to my face. I rolled my eyes and scoffed loudly, stomping off to catch up with Naruto, who was currently in front of the group.

--

We had finally made it to the tower. We were about to walk in, when Ryota pulled me to the side, said he needed to talk to me.

"Sakura-Chan, I just wanted to say thank you! For everything! I really needed your help, I'm glad you did help me!"

I smiled sweetly, looking up at him (remind me why everyone's taller than me? Other than Naruto...but no--he has to grow to like, six foot or something later!) "No problem, Ryota! It was nice meeting you!"

It took me about five seconds to realize he was dangerously close to my face.

...And about two seconds to realize he was getting closer...

Oh, Hell no.

I slipped past him before his lips touched mine. I smiled curtly, before muttering a small 'bye'

I swear to God, I saw him smirk in the distance…

_**With Ryota...**_

"So," a voice called out from the shadows, "How did it go?"

"Well," He replied, simply, "They didn't suspect a thing."

"What did you find out about the girl?"

"Not much, the dark haired boy barely let me within a yard of her alone. I never had a chance to ask many questions. She does trust people too well sometimes, I noticed half way through our journey, she let her guard down a considerably large amount..."

"I see, so you think we would have a chance to get her to come with us if we tried to befriend her?"

Ryota scoffed lightly, turning towards the dark figure, "No, like I said, that boy, They're only teammates but he's seriously over-protective...We would never be able to get her to join us if he's around..."

"We'll have to find a way to get them both to come with us then, don't you think?"

He simply shrugged, "I don't know..."

There was a loud exasperated sigh from the shadows, before the figure stepped out into the light. His glasses shielded his eyes from view, but his medium length white hair was easy to distinguish.

"Orochimaru-I'm sure-will be pleased."

Ryota only grunted in response.

**Yeah, it was short, I'm sorry, but the next one shall be longer!**


	16. Chapter 16

**YESSSSS!! I am SOOO sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER!!! But here it is! And update!!**

**Hurray!!**

I was actually amazed at how quickly I had forgotten. He had already been planted with the curse mark--his future was set. It had to be. That thing was like brain control--there was no fighting it, It was just completely pointless.

The only thing that amazed me even more was the fact of how quickly I had gotten over myself. I had just gone back in time, It was a miracle in the works, and to think I never even thought much about it at all. It was a little strange. I had heard rumors about such a jutsu, something that sent you back in time, but I thought it couldn't have been more than a myth.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

But why on earth would they send me back in time? What did they think it would accomplish? What could possibly happen?

A thought ran through my head--maybe he was thinking my power would atract him to me as well, and I would join him. Or maybe, he figured if I had to watch Sasuke--I couldn't will myself to think about it.

But if it happened again, maybe he thought I would follow.

I scowled, there was no way. I wasn't going anywhere, that was for sure, anywhere near him.

Or at least I'd like to think I wouldn't...

This was it. I had already failed enough, I was done being the pathetic one in the background like the last life. What was the point going back if nothing was going to change? There was no more worrying for the consequences, I didn't care, I'd do whatever it took to keep Sasuke here.

He wasn't leaving.

Not again.

--

We were having a preliminary exam, as expected. There were too many people to simply go on to the final stage of the Chunin exams. So, again (for me at least, here we were again.

"If there are any bail-outs, you better speak up now." The man declared. It was silent for a good while, before a voice rang out--loud and clear.

"I'm out." It said, most everyone turned to the source of the voice. Kabuto himself stood at the edge of the crowd of kids, his hand raised in the air. He let his arm fall back to his side, then turned to leave. His teammates--though reluctant--followed him out.

The man said something that I missed, I wasn't paying attention. I knew the first fight. Sasuke got into the hospital because of it...

"Sasuke," I called quietly, he didn't turn to me, but caught my gaze in the corner of his eye.

"what?" he hissed.

"Sasuke," I repeated, "I think you should drop out."

He only glared.

"Sasuke, come on. We can always enter next year," I reasoned, "You're so obviously not well enough for this--something bad's going to happen."

"No." he said.

"Sasuke--"

"I said no Sakura." he hissed, cutting me off. I glared back at him.

"I heard what you said," I growled, "Sasuke, if you don't raise your hand, I will."

"Sakura, don't you dare..." he threatened, actually turning toward me and glaring. He made no move to raise his hand, so I started to raise mine.

Before if even got above my head, he grabbed my wrist and pulled it back down.

"Sakura, don't." he growled. I only glared at him.

"Sasuke, this is something you have to do. Let go of my arm."

"No."

"Sasuke--"

"No." He was nearly trembling with anger by now.

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Whatever."

"You're not competing in this condition!"

"You're not going to stop me!"

"Sasuke--"

"Sakura, if you raise your hand, I'll--" he stopped himself, then continued on a different subject.

"Don't tell Naruto, Sakura. Don't' tell him about what happened. We don't need him worrying."

"But--"

"Don't tell him." he growled, enunciating every syllable, barely getting thr words out through his teeth. I glared, but didn't push the subject. There was no convincing him.

Stubborn Bastard.

"First Match!" the man announced, "Sasuke Uchiha vs. Akadou Yoroi."

Aw, shit.

--

I was literally freaking out. Spazzing out, actually. I was biting the fabric of my glove, waiting for the fight to finish.

"Sakura,"

The voice brought me back to reality in a harsh fashion. I nearly fell over once I realized how far I was leaning over the bar--the one thing separating me from the fight. I turned around quickly--too quickly. I nearly toppled over from the head rush it gave me.

Kakashi was standing there. "Sakura, calm down. He'll be fine."

I shook me head, turning back to the fight, "No," I replied shakily, "He won't. You don't understand, Kakashi. You don't know what happened. You don't know what _will _happen."

"And you do?"

My breath caught, "W-well…no…but--"

"Have some faith in the boy, Sakura. He'll make it through this, you watch."

I sighed. "Whatever you say, Kakashi."

I couldn't hear what the man was saying, but I saw him get a hold of Sasuke, and I felt Sasuke's chakra levels dropping. He was pushing against that Akadou guy's arm, but eventually fell. I remembered this.

He lifted his leg and pushed Akadou off, knocking him away.

Akadou gathered chakra around hi hand and lunged for Sasuke again. He took a few simple swipes at Sasuke, which he dodged, but one got his hair. Sasuke jerked away and stumbled past him. He swung around and tried to kick him, but Akadou jerked away.

I hung my head back, this was stupid. If he wasn't so stubborn, I wouldn't be worrying my head off.

Stupid, stubborn, short-tempered guy…

--

So I was officially spazzing out. And not like before, either. No, now, it was literal.

I was seriously a wide-eyed, biting my fingernails, tapping my foot, nearly trembling kind of spazz.

But, hey! Sasuke won! I should be happy! He's going to the _hospital_, but he won!

…Yay…

If it wasn't for that stupid curse mark, then he'd be here. But no, stupid snake-guy had to screw everything over…

I was completely oblivious to every fight. Nothing going on went noticed by me, until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned to see Naruto, and he pointed to the screen. I read it quietly to myself.

Haruno Sakura vs. Ino Yamanaka

Yeah…just great…

**Okay, yeah, not such a great chapter. Fights weren't too…good. I'm not good with fight scenes, okay?! I'm sorry, but I hope you liked this chapter anyway…**


	17. Chapter 17

**Finally and update, can you guess what will happen in the fight? (First off it's not well written, and second, it's not too hard to guess…I suppose….). Enjoy!!**

I'm pretty sure I was shaking as I took those steps out into the battle field--space--whatever you wanted to call it. Ino had already gotten there, standing there with her hands balled up into fists. She carried a sense of an arrogant air, with her head cocked to the side and that smirk plastered on her face.

I'd give anything to have this fight end, but I know I'd never forgive myself if I gave up here and now. As I stepped up, only a few feet away from her, the familiarity of the scene nearly knocked the wind out of me.

The announcer began to speak, but I wasn't listening. As my mind wrapped around Sasuke's limp body being carried away, and the fight of the last life.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply through my nose. When I opened them, I didn't notice we had started the fight until Ino lunged at me. Everything seemed slower in this life, now that my reflexes were faster.

I stepped to the side, and twisted my body so that she simply lunged past me. My gaze wasn't fixed on anything in particular, and my look was blank. I felt like a robot, my moves even seemed fluent enough to be from one.

I didn't want to fight her. Ino and I patched things up eventually, and as I realized My attitude was so much different than the last life, would we this time?

We probably would.

But…I didn't want to fight her.

Especially when she seemed this….What was the word?

Hateful?

That seemed to cover it.

She turned and threw three knives at me, and I ducked to avoid the first, then flipped over the last two.

I picked out a few shiruken, and threw them in her direction. I got one hit, that was all.

She growled, "Haruno, you're going down!" She cried.

I glanced at her face, she looked positively furious. She ran towards me, taking a kunai out, and I ducked under her arm. I slid behind her, with a speed that seemed to freeze her up, and twisted her arm behind her back. She dropped the kunai, and I let go.

She stumbled forward, then spun around. I didn't look at her.

Then, something hit me like a brick wall. I felt my entire body get a sort of tingling feeling, then it went numb. My eyes widened, and I realized what was happening.

Mind transfer jutsu.

I searched the length of my mind, and I couldn't find her. It wasn't like the last life, she didn't screw It up. Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I wasn't paying attention.

I saw myself raising my hand, and I heard Ino's voice.

_This'll be easy, get ready to quit, Haruno!_

I just barely managed to close my eyes.

_Hey, stop doing that!!_

_Shut up!_

I didn't even realize I had replied. It was just a force of habit.

"I--" I began to speak against my own will, but I choked it back.

I started small, closing my eyes, breathing harshly through my nose, opening my mouth. I was trying to force my mouth closed.

_Stop doing that!_

I started to shake.

If Naruto had started to yell, like he had last life, I wouldn't have heard it.

It was hard, but her technique was premature. I had been under Ino's jutsu while she was nineteen.

That was impossible.

But at that moment, I thought It was only harder, because I didn't want to win. Not completely, anyway.

But I lifted my hands shakily and pressed them together. Ino brought them apart, but I pulled them back.

_Release! _I thought, concentrating fully on that, considering I couldn't speak.

Everything suddenly came back, and the sudden freedom in movement nearly made me fall over.

Ino stood up.

"How did you do that?" She screeched, "That's impossible,"

"Apparently not,"

"Yeah, Sakura!" Naruto yelled from the stands. I looked at Ino.

"You gonna' attack or not?"

She frowned, and got into a stance.

"Get ready, Haruno."

She ran towards me, her fist pulled back, and I did the same. Just as I neared her, I ducked under her fist and came back up beside her. Everything seemed to slow down instantly.

"I'm sorry…Ino…" and as I dodged her swipe, I brought my fist around and punched her back. She fell backwards and landed harshly. I cringed, but otherwise didn't move.

It went quiet.

"Winner…Haruno Sakura!"

I found no pride in the fact I won.

--

It wasn't much longer, and I couldn't take the wait. I had been congratulated by all my friends for the win. Kiba and Naruto started having a fight over who had more confidence that I would win, Hinata gave her shy congrats, and Shikamaru gave a lazy 'good job.'

Chouji ignored me; that was foreseen. He wanted Ino to win.

But as I sat watching the other fights, all I thought about was Sasuke. I felt stupid, I should just watch, but I found when I knew what was to come, I worried much more.

I stood up.

I began to walk out.

"Sakura, where are you going?"

I turned around and looked at Naruto, beaten and bruised from his fight with Kiba--Naruto won--and smiled. "I want to check on Sasuke, I'll be back."

"Sakura, they might be treating him right now, you shouldn't--"I tuned him out. I guess he was right, but I wanted to leave so badly.

"Fine," I interrupted, "I'll just go for a walk, clear my head, you know?" He nodded.

I stepped out, stopping for a moment after I turned the corner, and took a deep, calming breath. I closed my eyes, desperately trying to force any thought of Sasuke out of my head.

When I opened my eyes again, I found a pair of unbelievably bright blue eyes staring back at me.

"Whoa…" I muttered in surprise, stepping away quickly.

It was Ryota.

"Why, Hello Sakura-Chan! How are the preliminaries?" He asked conversationally, a smile lighting up his face.

He is attractive, I noted, but not nearly attractive as a certain ebony haired boy who won't leave my mind.

"Umm…Well…They're going well." I replied unsurely, staring at him strangely. Why was he here? And more importantly, what was with this infatuation with me?

"I see, did you already fight?"

I nodded, still staring at him warily.

"The reason I'm here is because I wanted to see how some people from my fellow village were doing!" Great, now he could read minds, "Did you win?"

My face must have shown my confusion, because he hurried to explain.

"The fight! Did you win your fight?"

Oh. That.

I nodded, not making a sound.

"Who was your competitor?"

"Are you even allowed to be here?" I didn't mean to say anything, it just kind of flew out.

He blinked a couple times, "I'd like to think so, I asked that man Iruka--Jolly person he is--" I noted he made Iruka sound like Santa Clause "--And he said it should be fine!"

I nodded, "Okay, Ino."

He made a face, "Did you just call me a pig?"

"No! No I didn't, it's just, Okay, well…" Okay, now I was babbling. "Ino was my competitor! You know, you asked, and--"

"Oh, yes, of course! Thank you for not making me repeat myself Sakura-Chan!"

He looked in through the doors to the arena, "Where's your precious Sasuke-kun,"

His tone had darkened noticeably.

I was _not _going to tell him Sasuke had been hospitalized.

That was for sure.

"Well, he went for a walk," I lied convincingly, "that's why I was about to leave, to go get him."

He frowned, "Why'd he go?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, said he needed to be alone for a while. He hasn't had a chance to be alone for a while, and he doesn't like…you know…company…"

He nodded, "I see…Can I come with you to get him?"

I shook my head, "You know, that wouldn't be a good idea." I laughed nervously.

"Why not?"

"Well, Sasuke kind of…hates you…"

He sighed over-dramatically, "You make one move on someone's girl and they hold a hell of a grudge.

I blushed, "H-his girl?"

"Well, I'll see you later, Sakura-Chan!" He waved cheerfully.

"Wait, _Wait_! _I'm not his girl_!" But he was gone before I could convince him.

I sighed, shaking my head, I guess there was no convincing him.

_**Men… **_A voice whined.

_I know, I--_

Wait…

"What, I--"

_**Shut up! You'll look like an idiot!**_

_I thought I got rid of you!_

_**Yeah, and that c-ranked mission really proved that…Idiot…**_

_At least I'm not a blood thirsty animal._

And, at least my mental…I don't want to say strength….Well, it's better, so at least I could block her out.

There was still that constant tug at the back of my mind, but it was easy to ignore.

Now for that walk…

--

Yeah, it was meant to get Sasuke out of my mind, but it didn't.

Is it natural for every single tiny thing, from people to objects, to remind you of Sasuke Uchiha?

_**Aww, how cute!**_

_Shut up._

**YES, YES I KNOW IT'S SOOOOOO SHORT. For me anyway. And I've been constantly trying to get the chapters longer, but I just can't find the will power to continue! This makes such a better ending than if I went on!!**

**So, unfortunately, you're stuck with this.**

**I hope you liked it!! Please review!!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Please excuse any typos for the next few stories, my spell checker is temporarily conspiring against me.**

**Enjoy!**

Walking does not calm the nerves. I don't care who tells you it does, it does not.

In fact, if anything, it makes your nerves worse.

Although, maybe it's just me.

My nerves are never calmed, especially with the shit that goes on in my life.

I softly murmured the name that had been on my mind ever since that first fight in the preliminaries--which were long over and I had only returned for the end. I found that Sasuke, Naruto, and I were all going.

The first of the three much to my displeasure--knowing he must've been in no condition to fight.

But maybe he'd get better.

_**Yeah, and maybe Satan will come up and join you for tea and talk about how great God is.**_

_Do you have any idea how annoying you are?_

_**I've got a pretty good idea, no need to fill me in.**_

It was then I decided to block her out. It was late now, and I wondered who I'd train with for the real exams. Naruto trained with Jiraiya (whom permanently corrupted him), Sasuke trains with Kakashi, and I'd be damned if I have to wait for Tsunade to train.

Does she even come here before Chunin exams? I seriously doubt it.

In fact, she doesn't.

Whatever, I'd trained with her before, so I knew what to do. I think I'd still trian with her.

Tsunade was pretty cool.

Aside from her temper. That was just plain scary.

"Sakura!" I turned my head to the source of the voice, and saw Kakashi standing beside me.

"Hi." I said simply, turning back to the moon. He cleared his throat to gain my attention again, "Was there something you wanted Kakashi?"

"You did well, Sakura," He started awkwardly, "At the preliminaries--"

"Was that really all you came to tell me, Kakashi?" I asked doubtfully. He shook his head.

"Sasuke's in the hospital, Sakura. Recovering. You can see him tomorrow if you want."

"Recovering…recovering from the battle?"

Again, he shook his head, "We put a seal on the curse mark."

I nodded, I had forgotten they put one on at all. He took it as a sign to go when he found that I understood, and he was gone before I could say a word. I sighed and took one last glance at the moon before heading home.

"Honey, where have you been? I thought the preliminaries ended hours ago!"

I sighed, "Mom, they did, I just--"

"To think you would worry us that much!" She went on, her blonde hair swinging side to side wildly as she shook her head in disbelief, "You could have at least come back to tell me you were going to be out late!"

"I'm sorry."

She sighed, most likely sensing the disingenuous tone in my voice when I apologized. "How'd the exams go?"

"Terrible."

"Oh, honey, you didn't make it to the final exams."

"No, I made it."

She only stared, "Then why was it horrible?"

I sighed, "Never mind, I guess I'm just tired. Good night mom,"

"Night, sweetie,"

"And mom?"

She looked up, "yes?"

"I'm going to the hospital tomorrow to visit Sasuke, okay?" A sudden look of realization lit up her face, then sympathy. I suddenly realized I had given her the reason I was upset, and hurriedly trudged upstairs to get ready for bed.

I took a long, hot shower, at least an hour, healed my cuts and bruises, and tried to unwind my sore muscles.

I got dressed in an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts, then crawled into bed and promptly fell asleep.

_Thank God._

--

It was morning and guess where I was.

That's right! The hospital. Sitting by Sasuke's bedside wondering why the hell they had to have to much damn machinery on him when he just got a seal!

And nearly died…

And nearly let the curse mark take over again…

And the fact that he was just a teensy bit over-exhausted--but whatever.

I came as early as I could and was planning on staying as long as I could. I leaned over, elbows on the side of the bed, and rested my chin in the palm of my hand.

He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, and I briefly wondered if I looked at all peaceful when I slept.

"Sasuke," I murmured, "I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, I just wanted to let you know: This is all your fault."

And that was true.

He didn't budge, and I figured he must've been in a deep sleep.

"You know," I began, talking always made me feel more at ease, "You scared me. But I guess this was a scary experience, all of it. With old Orochimaru--" I nearly gagged, "--and you fainting, then trying to kill a bunch of people, and getting hauled to the hospital…"

I sighed.

"But at least we didn't die like the majority."

He still didn't move.

"I found out Ryota's a bit of a nosey Bitch." I mused, and I swear I saw his lips twitch, "He called my your girl," Supposed lip twitch again, "I was worried. About you I mean--everyone was."

I paused, "Well not everyone, Since some people either don't know or don't give a damn…"

It was then a group of Doctors came in, "Excuse me, Miss, we need to check up on Uchiha-San." I nodded.

I looked down at him, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Wake up soon, Okay?" And without another glance, I left.

Albeit reluctantly, I left the hospital and went straight to the training field.

Because each event that happens the same shows that Sasuke will leave.

And because I know this is one event that wouldn't happen; I wouldn't be training right now, and I wouldn't have made it to the third part of the Chunin exams.

And because I don't give a damn anymore how tired I get--I got a lot of training to do.

**Yay! Please review!!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Woo! Chapter 19! I'm getting pretty far-ish in this story!!**

It had been a couple days, and Sasuke was doing better. I'd been training my ass off, and I had visited him for hours every day.

Every day I'd talk to him, and I'd get more of a reaction. A twitch of the lips or fingers, and soon a full blown frown.

Sure, the man wasn't dying, so I really didn't have to worry this much. But it felt off to sit there and watch the man I lo--severely care for--unconscious and in the hospital.

I had avoided confrontation at the flower shop with Ino--I didn't get flowers. And I was on my way to the Hospital. When I entered, the nurse greeted me by my name, and led me to Sasuke's room. Only with the question, Sasuke or Lee?

She entered before me and screamed. Cursed quietly--I saw this coming.

"He's gone!"

I feigned surprise and ran into the room after her, "Where could he have gone?"

She called the doctor, and ran out of the room. I looked around.

"Sasuke?" I called stupidly. "Sasuke?" This time a little louder.

"Sasuke!"

"What?" The low, rumbling voice by my ear--of course--scared the daylights out of me, and I screamed, whirling around and stumbling backwards. He simply stared down at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He repeated.

"W-Well…you scared me…"

He smirked, "I thought you were a ninja."

I glared, "I _am_ a ninja."

"You wouldn't think you were with reflexes like that."

"I _am too _a ninja!" I screeched childishly, but in a split second he had his hand over my mouth; he shushed me.

"Sakura, if you scream, they'll come back in here."

I stared at him stupidly, and he took his hand off my mouth. "huh?"

Wow, I just sounded so damn intelligent!

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Sakura, I'm leaving."

Panic flooded my veins. "What?" I hissed, trying hard not to scream, "What do you mean? why? You don't have to go, Sasuke, I--"

"Sakura," He interrupted, staring at me worriedly (which surprised me a good amount, since when was he worried?) "I meant I'm leaving the hospital."

My mouth took on the shape of an 'o.'

"What did you think I meant?" I looked up at him.

"Nothing."

"…Right…"

I shook my head, trying to piece myself back together from the panic attack.

"Sasuke!" Something suddenly dawned on me, "You can't just leave! How can I know your better enough to walk out and train or do whatever? You might be dead--dying for all I know!"

He stared at me, "…Yeah, Sakura, just don't throw a fit."

He was smirking.

Smirking, I tell you! That damn smirk!

"Sasuke…" I growled, but he suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing. I stood up straighter and my ears perked at the sound of footsteps.

I smiled.

"Sakura, no."

"Nurse, Sasuke's--oomph!" He had clamped his hand over my mouth again, and--wrapping one arm around my waist--pulled me with him out of the hospital.

Quick enough that I didn't have enough time to fight back, we were on top of some cliff. (okay, I admit it, I would have had time to fight back if it had registered it was _bad_ at the moment for him to be running away with me…as appealing as the thought seemed.)

He took his hand off my mouth and I punched him in the arm. He glared at me, rubbing his arm--although I doubt it really hurt too much--and turned away.

"Sasuke--"

"Yes?" My mouth dropped at how incredibly innocent his voice seemed.

"What the Hell?" I screeched.

"What?" He stared at me inquisitively--Jesus this guy was a good actor.

"You know what!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Course I do." He replied dryly.

I glared, "I hate you."

"I know."

I breathed harshly through my nose, "Sasuke, you know you shouldn't have left that hospital!"

"Why not? I was feeling fine for the last few days, but I knew they wouldn't let me leave, so I waited until I could leave myself."

"But that's wrong!" I objected, before stopping myself, "Wait, you were awake these past few days?"

He smirked, "Thanks for visiting," He remarked slyly. I glared.

Then he frowned, "So what's this with the Ryota guy?"

"Oh," I laughed nervously, "yeah…"

He glared at nothing, "So you told me you ran into him a couple days ago,"

I looked away nervously.

_Average Morning. Nothing Spectacular. The weather was nice, but it wasn't beautiful._

"_Sakura-Chan" And that's exactly what ruined my day._

_I whirled around to see Ryota running up to me. "Hey!" I greeted. This guy was oddly persistent._

_He offered his help with one bag of groceries I was carrying, and I let him--to be polite._

"_So I heard Uchiha-San is in the Hospital."_

"_From where?" I asked._

"_Everywhere," I looked at him strangely, "Well, not everywhere, but many of the Chunin exam contestants knew, and I found out through them."_

_He looked at me slyly, "Which is funny because they said it happened during his fight, which was before yours, and you said he was on a…walk? Was that it?"_

"_Did I?" I asked nonchalantly, "Oops."_

_He glared lightly, "I don't appreciate people lying to me Sakura-Chan, but I'm making an acception for you this once."_

_I glared, "Why thank you, your highness."_

_He looked hurt for a moment, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I know you and Uchiha-San have something and--"_

"_wait, what?"_

"_--And I suppose I get a little jealous."_

"_Jealous of what? There's nothing between us!"_

"_Really?"_

_I nodded._

"_He seems oddly protective of you, though."_

_I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, he's a little overprotective of people sometimes." No he wasn't._

"_I see, so your not together?"_

"_Definitely not."_

"_Would you like to go somewhere with me tomorrow then?"_

"_Well, I don't really think that--"_

"_Great, meet you at Ichiraku tomorrow at seven!"_

_And he handed my the groceries back. "Wait I--" Btu he was already gone._

Sasuke was still glaring at nothing, "He doesn't even wait for a response?"

I snorted, "You care?"

He glared, "No,"

"Then why are you angry?"

"Because, I--."

"_I_ think you're jealous."

"_I_ think you're an idiot."

I glared, "I really don't think I am one. I think I'm right."

"Well your not." He objected, his glare matching mine.

"Please, you wish you were Ryota right now! Then you'd have a date with me!"

"Yes, I pray that I'd be Ryota so I could withstand you incisive whining all night!"

"I do not whine!"

"You do!"

"I don't!"

"You do!"

"Please, I bet you'd kill to be with me! That 'incisive whining' must be your favorite sound in the world!"

"In your dreams!"

"Bet you wish I dreamed about you!"

We were standing so close our toes were touching, although since I was a good account smaller, his face was bent down to glare at me.

"You really think I give a damn if I went out with you or not?" He snapped.

"Yes I do!"

"Well I don't!"

"Prove it!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Tomorrow night, me, you, and Ryota," I noticed how he spat out Ryota's name, "And I'll show you I don't' give a damn!"

"Okay!" I agreed.

"Okay!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

And I stormed away.

Wait…

Did we just plan a date?

And with Ryota…

I was a reasonable distance away (off of the cliff and in the forest), and groaned, banging my head against a tree.

This was _perfect._

**Okay, please review!! I like reviews!!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Well, last update for the day (probably) I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 20!! Ohh yeah!!**

I didn't dress up. Why bother? It wasn't formal or anything, it was at Ichiraku! I entered the stand and saw Sasuke and Ryota glaring at each other.

"hey,"

"Sakura-Chan, tell this guy he was not invited."

I winced, and laughed nervously, "about that…"

"Sakura-Chan!"

"He was invited, it doesn't mean he's _wanted." _I threw Sasuke a look.

I sat on Ryota's side, while Sasuke was on his other side. I smiled at Ryota, and he smiled back kindly. We ordered and soon our Ramen came. Ryota was trying to make small talk, but it was hard when Sasuke was scoffing and snorting rudely in the background, as if Ryota was a fool.

I got fed up eventually, and gathered a bunch of noodles around my chopsticks, then pulled them back best I could with wooden chopsticks, and let them snap forward.

They would have smacked him in the face if it wasn't for the fact he pushed Ryota forward (as if he had seen it coming) and it hit Ryota.

"Ow!"

"Oh my God, Ryota I'm so sorry!" I said, grabbing a napkin and wiping it off, "That was meant for Sasuke." I glared at him, but he only smirked.

"It's okay, Sakura-Chan," The -Chan was still there, so I guess he wasn't angry.

Either that or he was good at hiding it.

"I won't…do that again." I promised, and he smiled at me kindly.

Sasuke smirked even bigger, I went to kick him, but I missed and my foot slammed into Ryota's leg. He winced.

"Sorry!" I apologized, "That was meant for Sasuke! But I guess I…missed…"I sighed, "No flicking food, no kicking. Got it."

I as really getting to hate Sasuke.

"Excuse me," Ryota, said, his voice a little raspy--my guess from the pain of my foot colliding with his leg--"I'll be right back."

He got up and limped away, and I glared at Sasuke.

"What?"

"Jerk!"

He smirked, "I didn't do anything."

"You're being really rude, that's what you're doing!"

"You're the one who flicked the food and kicked him in the shin."

I glared, "Shut up, Sasuke."

Ryota sat back down, "Sorry, I had to leave for a moment, but I'm back now."

"Probably taking a break from crazy over here." Sasuke mumbled.

"No, listen you!" I said, standing up. Ryota ushered my to sit back down with a calm smile. I sighed, and sat back down.

Sasuke frowned, "You already have her obeying your every word? It's like she's tamed."

"Damn it, Sasuke!"

"Yes, Sakura?" He asked calmly, as if I was addressing him.

"You are such a bastard."

"Maybe I should go," Ryota suggested, but I shook my head, pushing him back down into his seat.

"No!" I objected, "You are sitting right here until Sasuke learns to behave himself!"

"Sakura, I really believe I should--"

"NO!"

"Yes, Sakura, let him go. Clinging doesn't make someone love you, you know."

"I didn't ask for your input, Sasuke!"

He smirked.

"Goodbye, Sakura-Chan," Ryota said more sternly.

"Wait!"

"How about we do this tomorrow, without him. I want to learn more about you."

I frowned, but he kissed my cheek and walked away.

I screeched and whirled around, stalking away.

"Angry because you're boyfriend left?" Sasuke was practically seething.

"I thought this was to show you didn't care!"

"It was."

"Really?" I asked, "Because it sounds like you care a fairly large amount!"

He glared at me. "How so?" He hissed.

"Because you ruined my date!"

"You didn't even want to go!"

"And what makes you think that?"

"you told me at the hospital! You said exactly, 'I really, really don't want to go!'"

I glared, "Well…Well maybe I changed my mind!"

"Of course you did!" He scoffed.

"It doesn't change the fact you went out of your way to annoy Ryota and I!"

He smirked, as if proud.

"And wipe that damn smirk off your face!"

He glared, "I didn't go out of my way to annoy you."

I glared, "You're right, you went out of your way to annoy Ryota! You're pathetic, you know that?"

"I am not pathetic." He hissed through gritted teeth.

"Yes, yes you are!"

"Really? How?" He demanded angrily.

"Because you can't admit to the fact that maybe you care at least a little bit. Maybe you're at least a little jealous! That you--"

"Sakura," He scoffed, "Do you actually believe I'm jealous of Ryota?"

"No," I said honestly, "You're jealous of what he has--for the moment."

He glowered, "And what's that?"

"Me."

His eyes went ablaze, "He does not _have_ you!"

"Aren't I the one who would decide that!"

"No!"

"And Why not?!" I advanced on him, ecstatic. "It's my life, isn't it? It's my choice? Why in God's name wouldn't I be able to be his if I wanted? Why--"

He grabbed my roughly by the arms and shoved me against the wall, his lips claiming mine. Immediately, almost instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck, as his hands shifted to my waist.

But he pulled away quickly, looking at me--his eyes practically on fire--and said: "That's why."

My eyes, I'm sure, were saucers by now. My mouth fell open slightly and all I could do was stare. I suppose he saw my look and got the wrong idea; He snapped his hands back as if it burned to touch me, and took a few steps back.

"I-I-I better go back...um…home--I'll see you to-uhh tomorrow." I stammered, I was about to turn around, but stopped. I looked up hesitantly at Sasuke, who was beginning to walk away--stoic as ever.

I rushed up--and of course he heard me and turned around--and pecked him on the cheek, before turning back around and leaving.

They say the littlest things could change the future…

_**Watch the world end tomorrow because of that…**_

(sigh) fabulous…

_**But it would be totally worth it!**_

I rolled my eyes, and hurried home.

**I know I know OOC! Pleeeaaase don't kill me for it!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Wahoo! I hope you like this chapter. You guys said Sasuke wasn't ooc in the last one, well he might be a little from here on out, so I'm apologizing in advance.**

The Next Morning I wasn't sure what to think. Sasuke definitely changed in this life…was I brought to, like, an alternate universe or something?

Jeese, weird…

Fact of the matter is…against all odds I fell in love with him again…

What's worse is I almost feel like he loves me back.

I sighed, getting dressed in my usual attire, then heading out the door for an early start to the day.

Of course, I see Sasuke out on the street, and I rush into the nearest store possible.

What can I say? I'm nervous! What if he turns me down, forgets about the whole thing? What if he's already over it all? What if--

Okay, Sakura, your being a child. If he doesn't want to think anything of it, let him! There are plenty of guys to be with who would care!

With my newly found confidence, I walked out of the store…

And straight into Sasuke. He held my forearms to stop me from falling over.

"Oh, Sasuke…" I started, "Um…hi?"

He just stared at me.

"Okay, Awkward, Umm…"

"What are you doing out here so early?" He finally asked, I realized he was still holding me and scrambled out of his grip.

"Errands." I answered simply.

He looked behind me, and I turned around.

I nearly died--The Icha Icha book store…

"Uhh…Oops?" I said, turning back towards Sasuke. He smirked and shook his head.

"You're annoying." He said, ruffling my pink locks as he walked away.

"Hey!" I countered, "Meanie, get back here!" He kept walking away.

"You're not being very nice!" I called after him. I huffed, then turned to finish my errands.

…Which I wasn't actually here for, but while I was out, you know…might as well…

--

It was later that day when I encountered him again. I was helping a woman walking her four dogs.

Yes, four _huge_ dogs.

They were currently dragging me along to parts unknown when he intervened, taking two of the bigger dogs.

"What?" I began, "you think I can't handle the bigger dogs?"

He rose an eyebrow.

"Give me the big one!" I demanded, he switched the smallest for the biggest.

…he started to drag me away quickly, "Take it back! Take it back!"

He smirked and grabbed the dog, not even budging when the dog began to try and drag _him_ away.

I pouted, okay, so I can get his by a 4 ton boulder and not move, but when it comes to dogs, god help me!

Whatever.

I'll work on it.

"Guess you can't handle the big dogs, huh?" He whispered in my ear.

I glared at him when he pulled back. He smirked and placed his lips on mine.

I nearly fainted on the spot. Second time in one week that he kissed me! He tilted my head to meet his lips with his hand on the side of my head under my jaw line. I looked down to see he was holding the two huge dogs with one hand.

Showoff.

I closed my eyes and slid one hand behind his neck…

Until my dogs pulled me away, trying to get to a grasshopper. I was roughly pulled away from Sasuke's lips.

"eheh…" I laughed nervously, holding one leash in each hand again. He rolled his eyes.

"Come on." He ordered.

_**Wow…And you thought he would try to forget about it!**_

_Quiet you…_

"Sakura." He called, I looked up, seeing him quite a while away.

"Oh! Coming!" I called back, dragging the dogs with me.

--

We brought them back to their owner after a nice walk (yeah, scratch out the nice part).

"Oh, I see you got your boyfriend to come help you." She smiled, Sasuke stayed emotionless.

"Whatever." He mumbled, and walked away.

She frowned, "He's not very polite, is he?"

I sighed, "Not always, no."

"Okay, well, thank you! I really appreciate you doing that for me, I just have so much to do today!"

I smiled, "Your Welcome! Anytime!"

I turned and caught up with Sasuke. "You could be a bit nicer…" I commented.

"She was annoying."

I smiled, "More annoying than me?"

He smirked in return, "Hardly."

I glared playfully and nudged him in the arm.

"Meanie."

He didn't say anything.

I was suddenly curious. "Sasuke?" I called, stopping in my tracks. He stopped a few steps ahead an turned around.

"Yeah?"

I looked at my feet, "About last night, and earlier when walking the dogs…Does that mean we're, like--"

"Do you want it to?"

I looked up, he was staring straight at me.

"I don't know." I answer warily.

It was really quiet then.

"Do you?" I finally asked.

He was silent. "If you had a choice between having me or that Ryato kid, who would you choose?"

I sighed, "First of all, it's Ryota--" He scoffed, "And second, you're completely avoiding the question."

He frowned, "So I take it the answer's Ryota?"

What?

"huh?" I spat, "What do you mean? No, it does not mean that."

"Then why wouldn't you answer?"

I glared, "Because you wouldn't answer my question!"

"Yes."

"…what?"

"The answer to your question is yes, now answer mine."

I stayed silent, did he just say he wanted to be with me?

"Well?" He asked impatiently.

I jumped up to him, wrapping my arms and his neck and kissing him fiercely. He responded immediately, wrapping his arms around my waist and deepening the kiss.

Hah, three times in one week.

I was the one who pulled away--as much as I didn't want to. "Does that answer your question?" I asked.

He frowned, "not really."

I rolled my eyes, "You. The answer is You. Ryota's just annoying."

He smirked, "I have to agree with you on that last part." I giggled, bringing my lips up to meet his.

We heard a scream, whirled around to see where it came from and saw a girl about our age staring at us horrified.

"Fan girl of yours?" I asked as she ran away as quickly as she could.

"I don't know, you think I keep track of those things?"

I glared, "I used to be one of 'those things'"

"Well then it's a pretty damn thing your not anymore, come on. Let's train."

"For what?"

He glared, "Chunin Exams."

"…right…" I hurried after him.

--

Of course I lost.

Because my chakra levels still weren't as high as they were when I was older…

Okay, that sentence sounded weird…

But I came pretty damn close to winning!

After the training, we laid in the clearing talking.

Well, kind of talking, he isn't much of a talker.

"If we go against each other in the Chunin exams, will you kick my ass terribly?" I asked.

"yes."

I glared at him, but couldn't help laughing. "Mean."

"No one ever said I was nice."

I sighed. This life was good.

But a question suddenly popped up.

"Sasuke?" I asked, sitting up. He turned his head to look at me.

"Orochimaru said you'd come to get power…"

He was silent.

"You won't go, will you?"

He still didn't answer.

"Sasuke, promise me you won't leave!"

"I'll make the right decision, Sakura."

I was mortified. I fell stood up angrily.

"Yeah, right," I said, "That's your way of saying no promises."

He didn't say anything.

"Sasuke! You can't leave!" I said angrily.

"Why not?" He questioned calmly, not batting an eye at my obvious anger.

"Because that's betrayal!"

"To who?"

I stared open mouthed, "To Konoha, to everyone, to _me_!"

He went silent.

"You don't need to go! You can get power here! Do you really think Orochimaru wants to help you? He just wants you! He couldn't give a flying fuck of whether or not you kill your brother! We care, Sasuke! Everyone in Konoha wants you to complete your goal! We want you to be happy!"

He didn't respond.

"Fine, leave!" I snapped, finally losing my temper, "Damn it, Sasuke, it's like I'm talking to a rock!"

I began to turn and leave, but his voice stopped me.

"Sakura." I stopped.

"What?"

"I'll promise you that I won't leave if you promise me something in return."

"What?" I asked, "What do I have to promise you?"

He looked at me, "Promise me you won't give up on me." He said, "If something goes wrong…"

I didn't understand.

"If I loose it…"

He knew the curse mark might lead him to it.

I set my jaw, "I promise."

He looked back up at the sky silently. I turned around and began walking away again.

_It's almost dinner_, I thought on my way home, _Mom's probably worried_.

**Yeah, yeah, bad ending, I know. Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Well, hello there my faithful reviewers!! I got another chapter up. Warning: Sasuke really isn't in this chapter at all…so…..yeah…**

The next day I made a promise to myself that I'd do nothing but train. However, that was definitely interrupted when on my way to the training field, Naruto practically attacked me with offers to get Ramen.

When I said no, he began to beg.

"Please? Sakura, I have no money! You need to pay for me!"

I rolled my eyes, "Naruto you're pathetic. Train with me and I'll buy you Ramen."

His eyes widened, "Really?" He asked, and I nodded, desperately trying to hold back a smirk. He'd die when he found how long he'd have to train with me.

"Yeah," I smiled, "Come on!"

We got to the training field, and I got in a fighting stance.

"First off, I just want to spar, okay?"

He nodded, "I'm totally gonna' win."

I glared, "begin!" In a moment I swept behind Naruto and, grabbing his arms and pulling them behind his back, I threw him across the field.

He got right back up, "That was cheap!"

"Get to cocky, and that's what happens!" I yelled back, then got into a stance again. He made four clones and they al charged at me.

I hit two with a roundhouse kick, punched one in the gut, then pulled out a kunai and slashed across his face, then threw one into a tree, so there was just the original Naruto.

"Nice try," I said, holding my kunai out in front of me. He made ten more clones and the split up around the field. I gather a few kunai in my hands and threw them at the clones, then jumped up in the air and grabbed a second set.

The dodged both, but I landed behind two clones and as I landed on my hand, I spun myself around, stretching my legs out and kicking them both. I realized how much easier it was to move around when I had a hairdo this short.

I realized five of the clones were charging at me. I felt a distinctive sense of chakra from the other side of the field, so I knew Naruto was not included in this batch.

Gathering chakra into my hand, I reached up and snapped a large branch off the tree, then spun it around me, knocking them all away. I found myself slightly worn when I dropped the branch, and noted I needed to build up my muscles.

I felt chakra behind me, and threw two kunai. Naruto dodged them and lunged for me. HE knocked my to the ground, but I flipped him over so that I was pinning him down. I snapped out a kunai and held it to his neck.

"I win." I stated, and he pouted.

"Ramen?" he asked hopefully, and I shook my head. I got off of him.

"Next, I need to work on chakra control."

He frowned, but got up begrudgingly, "Isn't your chakra, like…perfect?"

I shook my head, "If I can't snap that tree in half with one punch, it isn't perfect. Even if I can, it isn't perfect."

His eyes widened, "You want to snap it in half?"

I nodded, but caught myself; Yeah, chopping a tree in half with one punch isn't exactly normal for a thirteen year old girl, is it?

I laughed, "No, no, but I do want to get my chakra higher." But I really wanted to chop that tree in half.

"Watch," I ordered. I gathered chakra in my hands and punched one tree. The whole side of the tree, the bark moved and cracked in awkward angles.

He went wide eyed, "Teach me how to do that!"

I smiled.

--

After what seemed like days of training, I had taught Naruto a little of how to punch a hole in the tree. He said that Jiraiya would be mad at him for skipping practice, an dI apologized; I hadn't known he had been training with him already.

I hated Jiraiya. He was a good-for-nothing, low, perverted bastard, and I certainly did not want to pose for his book, as he had asked me when I was eighteen.

I had been going out with a boy named Shoi at the time, and he totally kicked the crap out of Jiraiya for me. I was on a bet that I couldn't go a week without hitting someone, so I couldn't do it myself.

I lost the bet anyway, so I guess it wouldn't of mattered.

I punched a guy for groping my when I went to a bar to pick up a friend of mine.

When I thought about it, Shoi reminded me a bit of Ryota, but I blew off the idea.

Well, it was late in the evening, about eight or nine, so I decided now would be the time for Ramen. I swear a war was going on in Naruto's stomach, it was so loud.

We got to the stand, and I saw Ryota, which didn't seem to make Naruto happy. The weird thing was, he was speaking to Kabuto very quietly, as if he wanted no on to hear.

I pout a finger to my lips for Naruto, telling him to be quiet. I tried to listen to the conversation. Their heads were inclined toward each other, so they couldn't see us.

All I caught in the conversation was "Oro…mu…pleased…will get…" From Ryota.

Then Kabuto, "What about…girl…strong…you…attached?"

Ryota: "No…pretty…he…protective…nowhere…"

Then Naruto's stomach decided to be as loud as any time ever before in history.

_**Ryota's Pov**_

Kabuto apparently had some gay-ass business, and I was pulled away from anything else I wanted to do to talk to him.

We were talking about that Sasuke kid, and his girlfriend Sakura.

"Orochimaru will be pleased," I mused, "to have Sasuke. I mean, it's obvious we will get him on our side. With the curse mark and everything."

"What about the girl?" Kabuto asked warily, "she seems very strong, and Sasuke seems to be getting more and more attached to her every day." He paused, "Then again, what about you? Hmm…are you getting attached?"

"No," I glared, "Sure, she's pretty, and it would be easy for most people to like her, but she's too…free spirited. It's her way or the highway. Besides, even if I did want to be with her, that Sasuke kid wouldn't let it happen. Even before they were together, he was uber-protective. I would get nowhere."

He nodded, and we heard a loud grumbling noise.

_**Sakura's pov**_

"Naruto, shut your stomach up," I hissed, hitting him in the stomach. He held his abdomen delicately.

"I can't help it! I'm hungry."

I rolled my eyes, "Miso for me," I said to the man who had just walked up to us.

"Yeah, same."

He practically died when he sat down. "So…tired…."

I rolled my eyes again, "One day of training, and you're miserable." I mumbled.

"You're training is hard-core, Sakura-Chan!" he whined, and I smiled.

"Thank you!" I replied, and he scowled.

"Hello Sakura." I looked around and saw Ryota. That kid was making more and more suspicious every day--but I covered it up.

"Hey, Ryota, what's up?"

Naruto spoke up, "Hey, old man, could you make that to go."

I looked at him questioningly, and he just smiled, "I have to get home anyway."

I nodded, but I knew he was lying.

"Oh, Sakura, can you stay?"

I shook my head, "Sorry."

He nodded, then turned back to Kabuto.

Naruto and I got our food, and headed to his house. He wanted to drop me off at my home, but I said no.

I needed time alone anyway.

We got him home, and by that time he had already finished his ramen. I walked halfway back and sat down on a bench and began eating. I sighed disdainfully.

I hated this bench because of the memories here, but I was trying to get over that.

I finished the ramen, and began walking home again. I found a trash can on the way and dumped my trash. I was about to turn on a street to my house, but a voice stopped me.

"Sakura!"

I turned around, and saw Kakashi. Someone I hadn't seen in a while.

"Yes?" I asked politely.

"Come here." I walked over and he stared at me, "I want you to train with me."

"Why?"

"I saw you training with Naruto, you were very...advanced."

Oh shit.

"It puzzles me how you're just so…advanced. This level you're at may be the equivalent to a…much older ninja--more experienced."

I frowned, twenty is not old…

And neither is twenty-seven…

Not old at all.

"Maybe another night, Kakashi."

"Sakura."

"Yes?" I asked, a little snappier this time.

"Now."

I glared. "I'm going to loose."

The fact that he didn't respond scared me.

--

I was doing fine keeping my abilities to not contradict my earlier abilities, but keeping it reasonable.

Until he made a comment about my family and I got pissed off.

Then I went to punch his face in, I missed, and knocked down a whole row of trees.

Now I was sitting in the Hokage's office, with Kakashi standing beside me suspiciously, probably thinking I'm sort of enemy ninja disguised as Sakura Haruno.

What was I going to say? Yeah, I'm really twenty seven, and Sasuke sent me back in time for some reason I don't know?

_I'm so dead…_

**Uh ohhhhhhh…Sakura's in trouble!!**

**Review please!!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Aren't you proud of me? Lol I'm updating!!**

"Sakura, care to explain to the Hokage what's happening here…?"

I stayed silent, staring at the floor.

"Sakura?"

I looked up at him solidly, "I'm afraid I really have no clue what I've done wrong, Kakashi…"

He glared, "I'm not playing around here, Sakura."

"Neither am I." I glared back just as hard. Kakashi may have been a close person to me, but I was well trained to hide feelings for a person when turned they'd against me.

And yes, this qualified as turning against me.

"Sakura," The Hokage finally spoke up. "Please, I'd like to know."

My eyes went hard. What could I do? If I told him I was from the future, I'd have to tell him how. Then I'd have to explain why the hell Sasuke was attacking me, which would lead to suspicion of Sasuke and Orochimaru and --O God I don't know what could happen.

I mean I only changed my attitude and I got ice king Sasuke to kiss me. Three times!

I don't even know what I'm talking about, because first thing they'd ask for ais a prediction of what will happen and there are to results to that; 1. It'll happen and they'll believe me or 2. It won't happen because I've already changed the future.

"I cannot disclose that information."

He didn't react at all, "I heard you are showing capabilities far surpassing where you were in the academy."

"That is true." I clarified calmly, hiding any trace of fear.

"Why is that?"

"I cannot disclose that information." I repeated.

"And why is that?"

"I know many things that could happen in response to my telling you the reason; things we don't want happening."

"Is that a threat?" Kakashi piped up from behind me.

"Not a direct one."

"What gives you the idea you can threaten our Hokage?"

I shook my head, "I am not threatening," I glared, "I'm telling the truth."

"Sakura, why can't you tell me what's going on."

"Because,"

"And be more specific. Tell us exactly why."

"I cannot--"

"Don't give us that, Sakura," Kakashi bellowed, "We need to know!"

I stared at the wall behind the Hokage. I shut them, breathed in deeply, then opened them again.

"No,"

"Damn it, Sakura--"

The Hokage cut him off with one simply hand motion, "Sakura," he said, "You need to tell me. We don't want to ruin whatever it is you are talking about--"

"The future." I almost smacked myself; Nice Sakura, real nice.

"Uhh…" he hesitated, "Yes, yes, of course. The future, but we need to know so we are not endangering our villages."

I considered dropping the charade and telling them everything, but I hesitated.

"Sakura, please."

"If I answer, promise you won't go further into the topic. Promise you won't make me tell you." I shut my eyes tightly, trying to pretend this was all a dream.

I could feel him staring at me, "I promise…"

I didn't want to believe him, but I knew he wouldn't lie to me.

"I know more than you think," I answered vaguely at first, finally opening my eyes "Because I'm a different person than you knew."

I saw Kakashi get on guard.

"Something happened…when I was on a mission…"

They were both tense, no doubt thinking I wasn't even Sakura.

"And I was twenty seven then…"

The Hokage stared at me curiously, but Kakashi didn't understand.

"And I woke up…thirteen…again…"

I refused to meet his eye.

"Sakura," He said, "Are you sure."

My head snapped up, "Yes," I answered incredulously, "Yes, yes, I'm sure! I was twenty seven on a mission, then S--" I was about to say his name, but I didn't want to give anything away about the future, I wanted him to stay in Konoha, yes, but I wasn't sure what this would do.

If I told them, what would they do? Throw him in jail? Lock him up so he can't run away? No, I had to do that alone.

"Suddenly," I covered up for my mishap, "I was out cold by an enemy attack and I woke up…in this time…"

Kakashi glared, and I wished more than anything I didn't have to be the interrogated enemy. "You expect us to believe that?" He asked.

I nearly broke down crying, "Yes!" I yelled, and he pulled out a kunai because of my sudden outburst. I leaned over, hiding my face in my hands.

"Why?" I croaked, still refusing to cry but close to it. Screw the stupid rules of being interrogated, I was frustrated! "Why can't you just believe me?"

"Sakura, you have to understand, we must keep our village safe."

"My chakra signature!" I screamed, throwing my head back up and staring at him, "It's the same, I just have more of it! I have to same memories, just a little more of them than the last life! Why can't you two understand there's no possible way I couldn't be Sakura!"

Kakashi, got ready to lunge for e when I stood up, but the Hokage stopped him.

"I must keep my village and it's people safe." He said.

Heart broken, I fell back onto my seat, leaning over and tangling my hands in my hair, clenching them into fists and biting my lip to stop from sobbing.

What would they do? Jail me? Exile me? Execute me?

Though I knew the third choice was not going to happen, I still wondered if that would be better than being exiled.

"And that," he continued, "Is why I believe she should be free to go."

I looked up excitedly, "You mean it? Not jail? No exiling? No execution?"

He laughed, "Execution?"

I smiled woefully, as Kakashi finally spoke up, "But Hokage, what if--"

"She has a mother Kakashi," he argued, "Her own mother would know if she wasn't really Sakura."

Kakashi backed down.

Before thinking, I rushed forward and gave the Hokage a hug. I heard Kakashi's chair fall back as he stood, but I guess he stopped.

"Thank you," I said, "I wouldn't be able to live anywhere but here."

I got up and the Hokage gestured politely that it was my time to leave. I smiled and left the room.

When I got outside I realized how late it had gotten. I looked around and started home.

Finally reaching my front door, I came in.

"Sorry I'm late Mom!" I called, "I had to speak with the Hokage. It's all okay now, though!"

There was no reply and I supposed she was in bed. I suddenly felt bad for yelling, and quietly made my way to the kitchen for a snack.

I flicked the switch.

And screamed.

Blood spattered the walls and covered the counters, dripping off onto the floor. There was a long streak of blood leading down the middle of the kitchen floor, as if a wounded person and been thrown. The table and chairs were strewn about, even the fridge was on it's side. The cabinets were all empty, their contents all over the floor.

Then I saw her.

My Mom was sprawled awkwardly at the other side of the kitchen, staring blankly at the ceiling.

I spotted no movement.

"Mom!" I screamed, rushing over and checking for a pulse. I leaned my ear down by her mouth, and there was no breathing.

Tears spilled down my face. After my dad's death, I never thought I'd loose another parent.

I struggled to keep the sobs under control as I desperately searched for a life source, but I found absolutely nothing.

I caught site of an object in the corner of the room. It was a worn blood spattered scroll. I grabbed it and controlled my sobbing, settling for the tears pooling out of my eyes.

I unrolled it…

_Sakura,_

_I finally found you. It's strange how hard it is to use that jutsu on yourself. I figured since I came back here I should leave you with a little present._

_Enjoy the sorrow._

There was no signature, but there didn't have to be. It was simple enough for me to piece together.

Orochimaru.

The new Orochimaru.

Was here.

My shoulders shook and I erupted with a new set of sobs. I could feel the color of my eyes switching between green, and blue with red. My spirit stirred inside of me.

_**He killed her…**_

I threw back my head and screamed as loud as I could, letting the anger overflow me. I kicked the table through the wall and threw a chair--shattering a window.

I threw myself onto my mom's body, gripping her tightly, trying to will the life back into her.

I was completely unaware of the group of people coming into my house, and the pair of arms pulling me away from my mother, and the medics taking her away for her burial; I simply gripped whatever was closest to me and continued to cry.

That night was the second night I had to see my mother die.

And though I hate to admit it, this was far past the second time I had let my feelings show so feely. Let myself forget about my ninja way so freely.

But, as I figured out when the hysteria wore off, it was the first night Sasuke had held me in his arms and comforted me best he knew how.

**Oh, well…more dramatic than what I usually write. Tell me how it was, because I'm still a little shaky 'bout the whole thing; don't know if it's very good. I don't know if I made her overreact or nothing, but I know I'd probably react like that if someone in my family died.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, this chapter's beign told in Sasuke's point of view. ;)) enjoy!**

She sat there sobbing for hours.

It got to the point when I almost wanted to get out of there so that I didn't have to hear her sobbing anymore, and it confused me to no end that I was reacting this way.

How long ago was it that I would have been able to hear her cry, and though not be completely emotionless, react a little less severely than this.

I hadn't ever had to comfort someone crying, so I had no idea what I was doing. Maybe that's why she kept crying; maybe I wasn't helping at all.

I realized that was wrong. I had tried to pry her off me for barely a second so that we could get out of the blood spattered kitchen, and as soon as I got her arm off, she threw herself on the ground and continued to sob.

For a moment I though she looked absolutely helpless. Completely weak. Just like the old Sakura from the academy.

But then I remembered what she was crying about and I just about wanted to punch myself.

I had never officially met Sakura's mother, but from what I'd heard her and her mother were very close. When I lost my parents, I know I went through a hard time. It may not have been as hard as Sakura in regards to the closeness of my family and I.

But if you add in the fact that my family was killed by my brother I have a feeling that made my situation worse.

Then a thought struck me; who did kill Sakura's mom? I didn't know, and I knew I didn't want to ask Sakura, considering she was still crying, though she had finally regained control of herself and her hysterics wore down into quiet sobs.

I had gotten her back off the floor and wrapped my arms around her again. I sighed deeply, trying to remember what my mom would do whenever I had cried as a kid.

Granted, kids never cried this much for just anything. So I was starting to wonder if my so-called comforting was beginning to become redundant.

She had never looked at me, even when I pried her off her mother's body, she never glanced at me, but threw her arms around me and held on for dear life. As if whatever took her mother was trying to take her and I was her only chance for survival.

I frowned as I began to wonder why I came in the first place. All I know is I heard a scream; louder than anything I'd heard, and I somehow _immediately _recognized it as Sakura's.

Which scared the shit out of me.

Why did I care at all? I mean, as a teammate it would make sense I'd come over to see what was going on. But why the Hell did I feel the need to be the one to pull her off her mother and comfort her? Had I gone _insane_?

My brothers face popped into my mind as a painful reminder of everything about this girl that scared me.

I vowed to kill my brother. I knew that would be the one thing I had to do. I promised myself not to make any connections until I was sure he had died; preferably by my hands.

And then she came along, all different-attitude and I-hate-Sasuke; so unfamiliar in such an…attractive way.

And I don't know what happened. Maybe I was just so used to being loved by every girl I met, that when she came along it was such a surprise to me that my mindset told me she _had_ to want me.

I had convinced myself I only wanted what I couldn't have.

But then I got her. We actually kissed (purposefully) and my need for her hadn't decreased even the slightest bit.

Sure, I remember having a tiny crush on her before the clan massacre, and then after that I felt nothing. Especially not when she began fan-girling after me.

So I guess I wasn't completely dumbfounded when I found myself lusting after the girl. She was pretty, I'll give her that. It was when I started loving the girl that threw me for a loop.

So I kissed her. Convincing myself once I knew I could get her if I wanted, I could go on with my life.

Well, that and the fact I was pissed as hell that she actually convinced herself for one moment she could ever be Ryota's. Because for the moment I was in the mindset she was mine and no one else could have her.

The thing that surprised me was she actually kissed back.

Then when she freaked and said she had to leave, and I actually felt _bad _for forcing the kiss on her (even though I didn't force it I thought I did and I felt _bad_) and she comes back and kisses me on the cheek.

And then I actually felt my brain going into meltdown. Because I knew then I was _in love _with her, and Sasuke doesn't do love!

Then when I saw her again with those dogs. Something compelled me to help her, and she just looked so damn cute (which screwed me up in the head because cute wasn't supposed to be in my vocabulary) and I kissed her again.

And then she went and brought up a relationship. And I was screaming at myself to tell her I couldn't do it.

"_Do you want it to?"_

I said: Do you want it to…?

Do you want it to? What the Hell was I smoking? How the hell could I get so cliché! I breathed sharply through my nose.

Then we kissed, _again_.

And we had that talk. About Orochimaru. And when she was telling me I couldn't leave, and the only words I wanted to say were "I have to."

But instead, when I looked up at her, I instantly forgot about all plans to get stronger and kill my brother, and all I could think about was her. And leaving her unwillingly if the curse mark took control, and I asked her never to give up on me.

And that shows how stupid I am.

I couldn't do this, I told myself. I had to leave eventually, I would get stronger. I would kill my brother.

"Sasuke?" The voice was weak, hoarse, and timid, and I looked down to meet Sakura's gaze.

I only stared, not able to respond. She didn't seem to need a responce, as she just buried her face in my shirt. She had stopped crying and had reduced to sniffles every few seconds.

I couldn't stay. I had to leave. Had to get stronger; had to kill my brother.

But as I looked down at her exhausted form, I wondered if I would be able to.

Somewhere in my newly screwed-over head I knew then answer.

_I couldn't leave her._

**Yeah, I know it's pretty short. I just had to add this short interlude of Sasuke's view on the whole relationship deal. I hope you liked it! Please review!!**


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